scholarly journals Smell distortions: Prevalence, longevity and impact of parosmia in a population-based, longitudinal study spanning 10 years

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Olofsson ◽  
Fredrik Ekesten ◽  
Steven Nordin

Parosmia, experiences of distorted smell sensations, is a common consequence of covid-19. The phenomenon is not well understood in terms of its impact and long-term outcomes. We examined parosmia in a population-based sample from the Betula study that was conducted in Umeå in northern Sweden (baseline data collected in 1998-2000). We used a baseline sample of 2168 individuals aged 35-90 years and with no cognitive impairment at baseline. We investigated the prevalence of parosmia and, using regression analyses, its relationship to other olfactory and cognitive variables and quality of life. Benefitting from the longitudinal study design, we also assessed the persistence of parosmia over 5 and 10 years prospectively. Parosmia was prevalent in 5% of the population (n=104) and was often co-occurring with phantosmia (“olfactory hallucinations”), but was not associated with lower self-rated overall quality of life or poor performance on olfactory or cognitive tests. For some individuals, parosmia was retained 5 years (17%) or even 10 years later (10%). Thus, parosmia is relative common in the population, and can be persistent for some individuals. This work provides rare insights into the expected impact of, and recovery from parosmia, with implications for those suffering from qualitative olfactory dysfunction following covid-19.

Author(s):  
Teresa Zetzl ◽  
Andre Pittig ◽  
Agnes Renner ◽  
Birgitt van Oorschot ◽  
Elisabeth Jentschke

Abstract Objective To examine the efficacy of reminder e-mails to continue yoga therapy on practice frequency and fatigue in cancer patients and long-term effects of yoga on fatigue, depression, and quality of life. Methodology One hundred two cancer patients who completed an 8-week yoga therapy were randomly allocated to two groups: reminder (N = 51) vs. no-reminder group (N = 51). After completing yoga therapy, the reminder group received weekly e-mails for 24 weeks, which reminded them of practicing yoga, whereas the no-reminder group did not. Primary outcomes were fatigue and practice frequency, and long-term outcomes were fatigue, depression, and quality of life. Data were assessed using questionnaires after yoga therapy (T1) and 6 months after completing yoga therapy (T2). Result A significantly stronger reduction of general (p = 0.038, d = 0.42) and emotional fatigue (p = 0.004, d = 0.59) and a higher increase of practice frequency (p = 0.015, d = 0.52) between T1 and T2 were found for the reminder group compared to the no-reminder group. In the mediation model, practice frequency as a mediator partially explained the changes in emotional fatigue (indirect effect B =  − 0.10). Long-term effects of yoga therapy regarding fatigue, depression, and quality of life were found (F > 7.46, p < 0.001, d > 0.54). Conclusion Weekly reminder e-mails after yoga therapy can positively affect general and emotional fatigue and help cancer patients with fatigue establish a regular yoga practice at home. However, higher practice frequency did not lead to higher physical or cognitive fatigue improvement, suggesting other factors that mediate efficacy on physical or cognitive fatigue, such as mindfulness or side effects of therapy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (05) ◽  
pp. 445-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania Mahler ◽  
Martine Dassonville ◽  
Dinh Truong ◽  
Annie Robert ◽  
Philippe Goyens ◽  
...  

Introduction Patients after pull-through operation for Hirschsprung's disease (HD) are at high risk of defecation disorders. This study aimed at investigating their long-term outcomes and quality of life (QoL) in comparison with controls. Patients and Methods Patients older than 5 years operated on for HD were interviewed to complete detailed questionnaires on bowel function. Patients without neurologic impairment were enrolled in a QoL survey to compare with controls matched for sex and age and selected randomly from the general population using sampling set in a ratio of four controls to one case of HD. Results In total, 53 operated patients were enrolled. Mean age of the patients was 16 ± 8 years, with 68% boys. Rectosigmoid aganglionosis was the most seen form of HD in 38 (72%) cases. Open Soave was performed in 40 (75.5%) cases, and minimally invasive surgery Soave (MIS Soave) in 13 (24.5%) cases. At investigation, prevalence of fecal incontinence and constipation were 22.6 and 13.2%, respectively. Regarding QoL survey, 45 patients and 180 controls were enrolled, excluding 8 patients with neurologic impairment. Thirty-seven (82.2%) patients were classified as having a good QoL (score ≥ 9 points); whereas six had a fair QoL (5–8 points) and two had a poor QoL (< 5 points). QoL score in the cases and the controls were 10.2 ± 2.5 and 11.9 ± 0.4 points, respectively. Long aganglionosis form of HD was significantly associated with a low QoL (score < 8 points), adjusted odds ratio = 9, 95% confidence interval [1.3; 64.1] (p < 0.05). In subscales analyses, the prevalence of each dimension including fecal continence, school absenteeism, unhappiness or anxiety, food restriction, and peer rejection was significantly higher in operated patients than in controls (p <0.001). Conclusion Although the QoL of patients operated on for HD in general was with good outcomes, fecal incontinence and constipation still are problematic issues and challenges in a high percentage of patients. Therefore, a long-term and multidisciplinary follow-up is essentially required for these patients.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maira Rozenfeld Olchik ◽  
Annelise Ayres ◽  
Marcieli Ghisi ◽  
Artur Francisco Schumacher Schuh ◽  
Carlos Roberto Mello Rieder

ABSTRACT Background: Evidence points to the occurrence of cognitive impairment in all stages of PD, constituting a frequent and debilitating symptom, due to high impact on quality of life and mortality of patients. Objective: To correlate cognitive performance with quality of life in PD. Methods: The sample was drawn from a Movement Disorders Clinic of a reference hospital in Porto Alegre. Inclusion criteria were: PD diagnosis, according to the United Kingdom Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Bank criteria for idiopathic PD (Hughes et al. 1992) and patient consent to participate. Patients with other neurological pathologies and those submitted to deep brain stimulation were excluded. The evaluation consisted of a cognitive testing battery (composed of eight tests for assessing cognitive performance), and a questionnaire on quality of life (PDQ-39) and depression (BDI). Results: The sample comprised 85 individuals with PD, with a mean age of 62.9 years (±10.7), mean disease duration of 10.4 years (±5.7), and mean educational level of four years (±4.3). There was a significant relationship between total score on the PDQ and all cognitive tests, showing that poor cognitive performance was correlated with poor quality of life. Moreover, a significant correlation was observed between cognitive tests and depression, H&Y, education level, and age. Conclusion: It may be concluded that the individuals with PD in this sample showed a correlation between poorer quality of life and worse cognitive performance. Poor performance was also correlated with more advanced stage, older age, low level of education and depression.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamyar Vahidi ◽  
Ahmad Shamabadi ◽  
Mohammad Hossein Nabian ◽  
Fardis Vosoughi ◽  
Ramin Zargarbashi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Talipes equinovarus, also known as clubfoot, is a congenital anomaly that affects one newborn per 1000 live births. Its standard treatment strategy is the Ponseti casting management. This study aims to report the long-term outcomes of the Ponseti treatment in Iran.Methods: A prospective cohort study was enrolled to evaluate clinical outcomes, radiological results, pedobarographic measurements, and quality of life after the Ponseti treatment in patients with clubfoot who were followed for at least five years.Results: In this study, 25 clubfeet of 18 patients were included. Significant reductions in Pirani, Dimeglio, and CAP scores, improved ankle dorsiflexion, and acceptable pedobarographic indices were observed in this study. From the radiological evaluation indices, the calcaneal pitch and lateral talus-first metatarsal angles were significantly reduced. The quality of life of patients after five years of treatment was favorable, which was better in females. This study showed that the results of the Ponseti treatment remained acceptable after five years.Conclusions: The Ponseti management for clubfoot in the long term appears to maintain significant improvements. However, the rate of recurrence – albeit without disruption to daily activities - cannot be ignored.


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