Investigation on the Loss of Taste and Smell and Consequent Psychological Effects: A Cross-Sectional Study on Healthcare Workers Who Contracted the COVID-19 Infection

Dudine, Luisa; Canaletti, C.; Giudici, Fabiola; Lunardelli, Alberta; Abram, G.; Santini, Ingrid; Baroni, Vera; Paris, Marta; Pesavento, Valentina; Manganotti, Paolo; Ronchese, F; Gregoretti, Barbara; Negro, Corrado

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.666442

Cited by 31 publications

(30 citation statements)

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“…Therefore, the long-term persistence (i.e., six months after clinical onset) of such symptoms deserves to be assessed and investigated. Additionally, considering the large number of people affected by COVID-19 worldwide and the negative impact of anosmia and ageusia on the quality of life [ 31 , 40 – 43 ], it is important to quantify the extent and duration of these symptoms to develop effective interventions able to manage the disorders in subjects with SARS-CoV-2 infection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, they may not receive adequate medical attention despite their impact on quality of life, especially if prolonged over months. However, olfactory and gustatory deprivations of various cause have been documented as disruptive on daily activities already before the spread of SARS-CoV-2 [ 31 , 40 ], and their negative impact has been recently confirmed by properly designed studies [ 41 – 43 ]. It is apparent that COVID-19 patients with loss of smell and taste experience a reduced quality of life related to those situations or functions in which the chemical senses play a significant role.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, they also present with higher levels of psychological distress. In particular, the presence of chemosensory dysfunctions is positively correlated to anxiety and depression, which are attributable to a sense of frustration as the patient often struggles to be fully understood [ 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Self-reported olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in COVID-19 patients: a 1-year follow-up study in Foggia district, Italy

et al. 2022

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Background From the initial stages of the pandemic in early 2020, COVID-19-related olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions have been widely reported and are emerging as one of the most frequent long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, data regarding the long-term recovery of the sense of smell and taste are lacking. This study aimed to characterize the evolution up to one year after the diagnosis of self-reported olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in COVID-19 cases. Methods Based on the data of the active surveillance platform of the Apulia region, Italy, we selected the residents of Foggia district who were confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2 from March 1st to June 16th, 2020, and home-quarantined with paucisymptomatic-to-mild clinical presentation. Self-reported olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions were recorded at baseline through a survey of dichotomous questions. The evolution of these symptoms at approximately one year was prospectively assessed via telephone by the validated sino-nasal outcome test 22 (SNOT-22, Italian version). Results Among the 1,175 COVID-19 cases notified in the Foggia district during the first epidemic wave, 488 had paucisymptomatic-to-mild clinical presentation. Of these, 41.2% (n = 201, 95% confidence interval [CI] 36.8–45.7%) reported at least one sensory dysfunction. A total of 178 to 201 (88.5%) patients agreed to participate in the follow-up survey. According to the SNOT-22 results, the persistence of a sensory dysfunction was observed in the 29.8% (n = 53, 95% CI 23.2–37.1%) of them. Particularly, loss of smell persisted in 25.8% (n = 46, 95% CI 19.6–32.9%), loss of taste in 21.3% (n = 38, 95% CI 15.6–28.1%), loss of both in 17.4% (n = 31, 95% CI 12.2–23.8%) of participants in the follow-up. The rates of full recovery increased over time: from 59% at 30 days to 71.9% at 90 days for the sense of smell; from 61.3% at 30 days to 74.7% at 90 days for the sense of taste. Conclusions The persistence of COVID-19-related olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions up to 12 months after the disease onset in a noteworthy proportion (approximately 3 out of 10) of patients with paucisymptomatic-to-mild clinical presentation deserves further investigations due to its possible pathophysiological implications and impact on the quality of life.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Self-reported olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in COVID-19 patients: a 1-year follow-up study in Foggia district, Italy

et al. 2022

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“…Moreover, the patients receiving the BAs (Inflawell ® group) showed improvement in the clinical symptoms including olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, shortness of breath, cough, body pain and headache. Recent studies have indicated a correlation between the loss of olfactory and gustatory senses with an increase in the feeling of loneliness, depression and anxiety in COVID-19 patients (Kooper 2021 ; Dudine et al 2021 ). Therefore, a faster relief from these symptoms could positively impact patients’ quality of life.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inflawell® improves neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and shortens hospitalization in patients with moderate COVID-19, in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial

Tond

Balenci²,

Khajavirad

et al. 2022

Inflammopharmacol

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Aims COVID-19 is a significant global threat to public health. Despite the availability of vaccines and anti-viral drugs, there is an urgent need for alternative treatments to help prevent and/or manage COVID-19 symptoms and the underlying dysregulated immune response. We hypothesized that administration of Inflawell ® syrup, a Boswellia extract formulation enriched for boswellic acids (BAs), can reduce the excessive or persistent inflammation and thereby prevent disease progression. BAs are medicinally activated triterpenoids found in the resins of Boswellia spp ., and possess an immense therapeutic potential due to their anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory activities. We investigated the effect of Inflawell ® syrup, on moderate COVID-19 patients along with the current standard of care treatment. Methods A randomized placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial was conducted, following definitive confirmation of COVID-19. Forty-seven hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19 were enrolled and received either the Inflawell ® syrup or placebo. Clinical symptoms and markers of inflammation were evaluated at baseline and completion of the trial. Results Our clinical trial revealed an increase in the percentage of oxygen saturation level in patients that received the BAs compared to placebo ( P < 0.0001). In addition, the average duration of hospitalization was significantly shorter in the BAs group compared with the placebo group ( P < 0.04). Concomitantly, some improvement in the clinical symptoms including cough, dyspnea, myalgia, headache, and olfactory and gustatory dysfunction were detected in the BAs group. Hematologic findings showed a significant decrease in the percentage of neutrophils ( P < 0.006) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) levels ( P < 0.003), associated with a significant increase in the percentage of lymphocytes in the BAs group compared with the placebo ( P < 0.002). Additionally, a significant decrease in CRP, LDH, IL − 6 and TNF − α levels was detected in the BAs group. Following the intervention, fewer patients in the BAs group were PCR-positive for COVID-19 compared to placebo, though not statistically significant. Conclusion Overall, the treatment with Inflawell ® resulted in shorter hospital stay, alleviation of COVID-19 clinical symptoms and decline in the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Trial registration The trial has been registered in https://www.irct.ir with unique identifier: IRCT20170315033086N10 ( https://en.irct.ir/trial/51631 ). IRCT is a primary registry in the WHO registry network ( https://www...

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“…The cytokine storm contributes to multi-organ damage, and potentially can lead to death of the infected person [46,47]. In many people the viral infection can be asymptomatic, or the virus just causes u-like symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, and the absence of taste and/or smell [48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]. One of the symptoms that is important in terms of the pathophysiology is the shortness of breath which is essentially due to the extensive cell death since the virus destroys the lining of the lungs that eventually leads to further in ammatory changes in the lung causing improper alveoli function [57].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation of COVID-19 Symptoms in a Genetically Engineered Mouse Model

Singh

Pushpakumar

Bard

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The ongoing infectious viral disease pandemic (also known as the coronavirus disease-19; COVID-19) by a constantly emerging viral agent commonly referred as the severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 or SARS-CoV-2 has revealed unique pathological findings from infected human beings, and the postmortem observations. The list of disease symptoms, and post-mortem observations is too long to mention; however, a few notable ones are worth mentioning to put into a perspective in understanding the malignity of this pandemic starting with respiratory distress or dyspnea, chest congestion, muscle or body aches, malaise, fever, chills, etc. We opine that further improvement for delivering highly effective treatment, and preventive strategies would be benefited from validated animal disease models. In this context, we designed a study and show that a genetically engineered mouse expressing the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2; hACE2 (the receptor used by SARS-CoV-2 agent to enter host cells) represents an excellent investigative resource in simulating important clinical features of the COVID-19 infection. The hACE2 mouse model (which is susceptible to SARS-CoV-2) when administered with a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein intranasally exhibited a profound cytokine storm capable of altering the physiological parameters including significant changes in in vivo cardiac function along with multi-organ damage that was further confirmed via histological findings. More importantly, visceral organs from SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) treated mice revealed thrombotic blood clots as seen during postmortem examination of the mice. Thus, the hACE2 engineered mouse appears to be a suitable model for studying intimate viral pathogenesis paving the way for further identification, and characterization of appropriate prophylactics as well as therapeutics for COVID-19 management.

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Investigation on the Loss of Taste and Smell and Consequent Psychological Effects: A Cross-Sectional Study on Healthcare Workers Who Contracted the COVID-19 Infection

Cited by 31 publications

References 45 publications

Self-reported olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in COVID-19 patients: a 1-year follow-up study in Foggia district, Italy

Self-reported olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in COVID-19 patients: a 1-year follow-up study in Foggia district, Italy

Inflawell® improves neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and shortens hospitalization in patients with moderate COVID-19, in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial

Simulation of COVID-19 Symptoms in a Genetically Engineered Mouse Model

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