Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a global health problem that causes major illnesses and disabilities worldwide. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that the prevalence of AR has increased progressively over the last few decades in more developed countries and currently affects up to 40% of the population worldwide. Likewise, a rising trend of AR has also been observed over the last 2–3 decades in developing countries including China, with the prevalence of AR varying widely in these countries. A survey of self-reported AR over a 6-year period in the general Chinese adult population reported that the standardized prevalence of adult AR increased from 11.1% in 2005 to 17.6% in 2011. An increasing number of original articles and imporclinical trials on the epidemiology, pathophysiologic mechanisms, diagnosis, management and comorbidities of AR in Chinese subjects have been published in international peer-reviewed journals over the past 2 decades, and substantially added to our understanding of this disease as a global problem. Although guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of AR in Chinese subjects have also been published, they have not been translated into English and therefore not generally accessible for reference to non-Chinese speaking international medical communities. Moreover, methods for the diagnosis and treatment of AR in China have not been standardized entirely and some patients are still treated according to regional preferences. Thus, the present guidelines have been developed by the Chinese Society of Allergy to be accessible to both national and international medical communities involved in the management of AR patients. These guidelines have been prepared in line with existing international guidelines to provide evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of AR in China.
Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a common health problem in the world. However, its etiology remains unclear. Recent researches have hypothesized that Staphylococcus aureus (SA) exotoxins which act as superantigens might be associated with inflammatory mucosal changes seen in CRSwNP. The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between Staphylococcus aureus superantigens and CRSwNP. PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and CNKI were searched to collect the case-control studies on the relationship between SA superantigens and CRSwNP from the date of establishment of the databases to May 2013. The extracted data were analyzed by RevMan 5.0. The main outcome measures were SA culture-positive rate, the detection rate of SA superantigens and its specific IgE. Twelve studies including 340 cases and 178 controls were selected. The results showed that SA culture-positive rate in the CRSwNP group was significantly higher than that in the control group (OR 4.85, 95% CI 1.80-13.05, P = 0.002), the detection rate of SA superantigens and its specific IgE in the CRSwNP group were both significantly higher than that in the control group (OR 12.07, 95% CI 4.57-31.90, P < 0.00001; OR 17.03, 95% CI 5.43-53.39, P < 0.00001, respectively) and the CD4(+) T cell counts and Lund-Mackay CT scores were statistically higher in the IgE-positive group than in the IgE-negative group (MD 16.26, 95% CI 4.86-27.67, P = 0.005, MD 2.43, 95 % CI 0.39-4.48, P = 0.02, respectively). However, the eosinophil and CD8(+) T cell counts showed no difference between IgE-positive group and -negative group. This meta-analysis indicated that the SA superantigens may be a risk factor for CRSwNP, and the presence of SA superantigen is related to the disease severity of CRSwNP.
Highlights
We investigated the prevalence and recovery time of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China.
This retrospective study of 196 patients with COVID-19 found that 8.2% and 4.6% of patients reported olfactory and taste disorders, respectively.
Recovery from chemosensory dysfunction (OD and/or GD) was slow, with over half of the patients taking more than 4 weeks to recover.
Patients with COVID-19 and olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunctions had significantly higher rates of cardiovascular disease than patients without olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunctions.
The results indicate that the prevalence and prognosis of olfactory or gustatory impairment in COVID-19 patients vary globally, reflecting the complexity of this disease.
6. Li Q , Ding X , Xia G , et al. Eosinopenia and elevated C-reactive protein facilitate triage of COVID-19 patients in fever clinic: a retrospective case-control study. EClinicalMedicine. 2020 ;
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