Purpose The objective of this study is to evaluate smell and taste dysfunction (STD) in coronavirus disease 2019 positive and negative patients, and to assess the factors associated with STD in COVID-19 positive patients. Methods Patients who had been tested with the real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for COVID-19 were identified, and according to the RT-PCR test results, patients were separated into Positive and Negative Groups. A telephone-based assessment was applied to both groups using the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Anosmia Reporting Tool. Patients in Positive Group were also asked to rate STD, nasal breathing, and anxiety in three different time periods (pre-/during-/post-COVID) using the visual analog scale (VAS). Results A total of 53 COVID-19 positive and 51 negative patients completed the surveys. STD was eightfold more frequent (OR 8.19; CI 95% 3.22-20.84) in the Positive Group. Of the 53 COVID-19 positive patients, 32 reported STD and 21 did not. 'Ground-glass appearance' on chest-computed tomography was more frequent and median lymphocyte count was significantly lower in COVID-19 positive patients with STD. During-COVID STD and nasal breathing VAS scores were significantly lower than the pre-and post-COVID scores. During-COVID STD scores were significantly correlated with anxiety scores (Spearman's rho-0.404, p = 0.022) but not correlated with nasal breathing scores. Conclusion STD may be related to increased inflammatory response as well as damage of olfactory neuronal pathway or non-neuronal olfactory mucosa. Understanding the exact cause of chemosensory impairment in COVID-19 can be helpful in explaining the pathophysiology of the disease.

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Thyroglossal duct cyst (TGDC) is the most common congenital midline neck mass in children. It usually becomes symptomatic following a respiratory tract infection and is usually diagnosed at 5 years of age. Thyroglossal duct cyst is rarely observed in less than 1-year-old infants. In this study, we present a 3-month-old infant with TGDC, who was administered multiple courses of antibiotic therapy for the hyperemic, draining, midline neck mass that had existed since he was 15 days old.Physical examination revealed an infrahyoid midline neck mass measuring 3×3 cm, which moved while swallowing and had a sinus opening in the overlying skin. The patient underwent Sistrunk operation under general anesthesia. Histopathologic examination revealed TGDC. One-year follow-up revealed no recurrence.

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Background: The aim of this study is to assess the olfactory functions of passive smokers compared to active smokers and nonsmokers.Methods: This prospective case-control study included 30 nonsmokers, 30 passive smokers, and 30 active smoker participants. All groups were matched for gender and age. The Sino-Nasal Outcome Test 22 (SNOT-22) and Sniffin' Sticks test battery were administered to all subjects. Threshold (T), discrimination (D), and identification (I) scores were noted. Olfactory function was subjectively assessed as 0: severe dysfunction and 5: no problem.Results: Overall, TDI scores of active smokers (24.78 ± 3.02) and passive smokers (24.90 ± 2.45) were significantly lower than nonsmokers (34.23 ± 3.46). There was no statistically significant difference between passive smokers and smokers (F (2,87) = 13.47, P < .001)). All subscores are negatively affected by active or passive smoking. The greatest impact of smoking was on threshold scores (η 2 T = 0.719), followed by identification (η 2 I = 0.353) and discrimination (η 2 D = 0.282) scores. SNOT-22 and TDI scores were weakly (r = À.352) correlated as subjective assessment, and TDI scores were moderately correlated (r: .539) (P values < .001). Age and pack-years cigarette dosage had a negative effect on the TDI score (TDI = 26.386 À (0.084 Â age) À (0.072 Â Pack.Year)) according to stepwise linear regression model (F = 10.187; P = .001).Conclusions: Passive smoking has nearly the same adverse effect on olfactory function as active smoking. The threshold scores are the most negatively affected. The olfactory effect of cigarette smoke may not be directly related to nasal inflammation.Olfactory neuronal pathways should be investigated to elucidate the exact pathophysiology.