Background: Anosmia has been reported as an early presentation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the pathophysiological mechanism of olfactory dysfunction is still unclear.Aim: The aim of this study to evaluate the knowledge regarding common symptoms, anosmia, treatment options, and PPE among medical students in three different universities of Saudi Arabia.Methods: This cross-sectional survey conducted among medical students in Saudi Arabia. Google Forms was used to create the survey. The questionnaire included demographic information, knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, sources of information, and the level of awareness of specific symptoms (loss of smell and taste).Results: A total of 494 students completed the questionnaire. The majority of the participants were aware of common COVID-19 symptoms like fever and cough (79.8 and 67.2%, respectively), but less than half were aware that smell or taste dysfunction might be a symptom of COVID-19 (44.3 and 30.2%, respectively). The present study revealed that the source of information also plays a critical role in medical students' awareness regarding the symptoms of COVID-19. Students using international organization's websites, medical databases, or published research had better knowledge of anosmia as a COVID-19 symptom compared to those who used WhatsApp, Google, or unofficial social media pages. In our study, a minority (11.9%) of the participants relied on unofficial social media pages as the main source of their information.Conclusion: Saudi medical students understand that smell or taste dysfunction can be a potential symptom of COVID-19, but this knowledge was not as widespread as the knowledge regarding the most common COVID-19 symptoms.

The paranasal sinuses are hollowed, air-filled cavities surrounding the nasal cavity. Many pathological processes affect the sinuses, but inflammatory conditions are the commonest, even in asymptomatic patients who undergo head imaging for other indications showing one or more abnormalities of the sinuses. Our research aims to determine the prevalence of incidental paranasal sinuses abnormalities seen among patients who undergo head CT scanning. In addition, it provides baseline information for further investigations required. The study was designed to evaluate all patients who underwent head CT scanning for any reason unrelated to paranasal sinuses abnormalities. 1849 cases were selected and retrospectively analyzed from the elective and emergency CT in the last nine months, from August 2020 to April 2021. In order to meet the inclusion criteria, indications for imaging must not be sinus-related. The study was conducted on 1849 cases who had undergone head CT scans for pathology, 1204 (65%) were male and 645 (35%) were female. Abnormalities of the sinuses were found in about 617 (33%) of all patients, with a higher rate in males (22.23%) than females (11.14%). In addition, these abnormalities were found in younger patients at a higher rate than in middle and old ages 19.74%, 7.19%, and 6.44%, respectively. Our findings revealed that the prevalence of paranasal sinuses abnormalities in asymptomatic Saudi patients was high (33%). Most of the affected sinuses were the maxillary. The male patients were more affected than females in all findings.

ObjectiveTinnitus is a common symptom of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and outcomes of acute tinnitus in patients with ISSHL.MethodsA total of 59 patients with ISSHL and acute tinnitus were enrolled. All patients underwent audiological assessment, tinnitus matching for loudness and frequency, and steroid treatment for sudden hearing loss. Tinnitus‐related distress was assessed using the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) questionnaire. The outcomes of hearing recovery and tinnitus remission were investigated retrospectively.ResultsThe loudness and pitch of acute tinnitus were 63.2 ± 22.4 dB HL and 2010.63 ± 2368.99 Hz, respectively. Complete and partial recovery rates of acute tinnitus in ISSHL patients were 32.2% and 39% according to the THI scores. The group with complete recovery of hearing showed significantly greater improvement in tinnitus distress than the group with no improvement in hearing. The loudness and pitch of tinnitus did not correlate with tinnitus remission.ConclusionHearing recovery is more important for tinnitus remission than the psychoacoustic characteristics of acute tinnitus. Timely identification and proper treatment of hearing loss are important to improve tinnitus remission in patients with ISSHL.Level of EvidenceLevel 4.

The number of COVID-19 cases has continued to rise since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic in March 2020. At this time, WHO has received reports of about 460 million confirmed illnesses and over 6 million deaths. In Saudi Arabia, the number of confirmed cases has nearly surpassed 750 thousand, with COVID-19 responsible for approximately 9,000 deaths. Vaccination is the most effective approach to prevent this pandemic, and persons who have had three doses are better protected than those who have not. The goal of this study is to look into the adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccine after the third booster dosage in Saudi Arabian healthcare personnel. Between November 2021 and April 2022, a cross-sectional survey was conducted using simply a questionnaire. Pain at injection site was the commonest side effect, followed by fatigue and headache. There is a temperature and edema at the injection site, respectively. 27.71 percent of female participants experienced menstrual cycle changes such as delayed or menorrhagia. The side effects are comparable to those experienced after the first and second COVID-19 vaccination doses. More research on long-term side effects, as well as studies into the relationship between menstrual cycle changes and COVID-19 vaccination, is needed.

Background: Lingual thyroid is a very rare pathological finding and is usually incidentally discovered. It occurs when a defect in embryogenesis gives rise to ectopic thyroid as tongue base mass. Majority of patients are asymptomatic. This clinical case highlights the importance of performing thyroid function tests for all lingual thyroid patients regardless of symptoms or clinical presentation. Case presentation: We present a 25-year-old lady who presented with sub-mental abscess. A CT scan was performed to confirm the diagnosis. The CT scan confirmed submental abcess and incidentally discovered lingual thyroid along with absence of thyroid tissue in its normal pretracheal position. The patient denied any symptoms of hypothyroidism. But subsequent investigations revealed clinical hypothyroidism. She was started on substitutive hormone therapy and remains asymptomatic. Conclusion: Lingual thyroid patients may remain asymptomatic with subclinical hypothyroidism. Hormone therapy needs to be initiated in these patients.