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Boscolo-Rizzo P, Spinato G, Hopkins C, Marzolino R, Cavicchia A, Zucchini S, Borsetto D, Lechien JR, Vaira LA, Tirelli G. Evaluating long-term smell or taste dysfunction in mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients: a 3-year follow-up study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2023; 280:5625-5630. [PMID: 37715807 DOI: 10.1007/s00405-023-08227-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION No studies have reported data on 3-year prevalence and recovery rates of self-reported COVID-19-related olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to estimate the 3-year prevalence and recovery rate of self-reported COVID-19-related chemosensory dysfunction in a cohort of patients with antecedent mild COVID-19. METHODS This is a prospective observational study, measuring the prevalence of altered sense of smell or taste at follow-up and their variation from baseline, on adult patients consecutively assessed at Treviso and Trieste University Hospitals, who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by polymerase chain reaction during March 2020. RESULTS Overall, out of 403 respondents, 267 patients (66.3%) reported an altered sense of smell or taste (SNOT-22 > 0) at baseline, while 56 (13.9%), 29 (7.2%), and 21 (5.2%) reported such alterations at 6-24 months, 2 years, and 3 years, respectively. Among the 267 patients with COVID-19-associated smell or taste dysfunction at baseline, 246 (92.1%) reported complete resolution at 3 years. Of the patients who still experienced smell or taste dysfunction 2 years after COVID-19, 27.6% and 37.9% recovered completely and partially, respectively, at the 3-year follow-up. CONCLUSION Among subjects with antecedent mildly symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, the 3-year prevalence and recovery rate of COVID-19-related alteration in sense of smell or taste was 5% and 92%, respectively. In approximately two-thirds of patients experiencing chemosensory dysfunction still 2 years after COVID-19, it is still possible to observe a delayed complete or partial recovery after a period of 3 years, while the remaining one-third of individuals continues to have unchanged persistent chemosensory alteration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Boscolo-Rizzo
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Strada Di Fiume 447, 34149, Trieste, Italy.
| | - Giacomo Spinato
- Department of Neurosciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy
| | | | - Riccardo Marzolino
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Strada Di Fiume 447, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Angelo Cavicchia
- Department of Neurosciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy
| | - Simone Zucchini
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Strada Di Fiume 447, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Daniele Borsetto
- Department of ENT, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jerome R Lechien
- Department of Laryngology, EpiCURA Hospital, Mons School of Medicine, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Luigi Angelo Vaira
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
- PhD School of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Tirelli
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Strada Di Fiume 447, 34149, Trieste, Italy
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Boscolo-Rizzo P, Hummel T, Invitto S, Spinato G, Tomasoni M, Emanuelli E, Tofanelli M, Cavicchia A, Grill V, Vaira LA, Lechien JR, Borsetto D, Polesel J, Dibattista M, Menini A, Hopkins C, Tirelli G. Psychophysical assessment of olfactory and gustatory function in post-mild COVID-19 patients: A matched case-control study with 2-year follow-up. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2023; 13:1864-1875. [PMID: 36852674 DOI: 10.1002/alr.23148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to psychophysically evaluate the prevalence of smell and taste dysfunction 2 years after mildly symptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection compared to that observed at 1-year follow-up and while considering the background of chemosensory dysfunction in the no-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) population. METHOD This is a prospective case-control study on 93 patients with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive SARS-CoV-2 infection and 93 matched controls. Self-reported olfactory and gustatory dysfunction was assessed by 22-item Sino-Nasal-Outcome Test (SNOT-22), item "Sense of smell or taste." Psychophysical orthonasal and retronasal olfactory function and gustatory performance were estimated using the extended Sniffin' Sticks test battery, 20 powdered tasteless aromas, and taste strips test, respectively. Nasal trigeminal sensitivity was assessed by sniffing a 70% solution of acetic acid. RESULTS The two psychophysical assessments of chemosensory function took place after a median of 409 days (range, 366-461 days) and 765 days (range, 739-800 days) from the first SARS-CoV-2-positive swab, respectively. At 2-year follow-up, cases exhibited a decrease in the prevalence of olfactory (27.9% vs. 42.0%; absolute difference, -14.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -21.8% to -2.6%; p = 0.016) and gustatory dysfunction (14.0% vs. 25.8%; absolute difference, -11.8%; 95% CI, -24.2% to 0.6%; p = 0.098). Subjects with prior COVID-19 were more likely than controls to have an olfactory dysfunction (27.9% vs. 10.8 %; absolute difference, 17.2%; 95% CI, 5.2% to 28.8%) but not gustatory dysfunction (14.0% vs. 9.7%; absolute difference, 4.3%; 95% CI, -5.8% to 14.4% p = 0.496) still 2 years after the infection. Overall, 3.2% of cases were still anosmic 2 years after the infection. CONCLUSIONS Although a proportion of subjects recovered from long-lasting smell/taste dysfunction more than 1 year after COVID-19, cases still exhibited a significant excess of olfactory dysfunction 2 years after SARS-CoV-2 infection when compared to matched controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Boscolo-Rizzo
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Sara Invitto
- INSPIRE LAB-Laboratory of Cognitive and Psychophysiological Olfactory Processes, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Giacomo Spinato
- Department of Neurosciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy
- Unit of Otolaryngology, Azienda Unità Locale Socio Sanitaria 2-Marca Trevigiana, Treviso, Italy
| | - Michele Tomasoni
- Unit of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Enzo Emanuelli
- Unit of Otolaryngology, Azienda Unità Locale Socio Sanitaria 2-Marca Trevigiana, Treviso, Italy
| | - Margherita Tofanelli
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Angelo Cavicchia
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Vittorio Grill
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Luigi Angelo Vaira
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Jerome R Lechien
- Department of Anatomy and Experimental Oncology, Mons School of Medicine, UMONS. Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons (UMons), Mons, Belgium
| | - Daniele Borsetto
- Department of ENT, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jerry Polesel
- Unit of Cancer Epidemiology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO) Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Aviano, Italy
| | - Michele Dibattista
- Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari A. Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Anna Menini
- Neurobiology Group, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Claire Hopkins
- Ear, Nose and Throat Department, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals, London, UK
| | - Giancarlo Tirelli
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
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Barbi C, Vernillo G, Emadi Andani M, Giuriato G, Laginestra FG, Cavicchia A, Fiorini Aloisi G, Martignon C, Pedrinolla A, Schena F, Venturelli M. Comparison between conventional and neuronavigated strategies to assess corticospinal responsiveness in unfatigued and fatigued knee-extensor muscles. Neurosci Lett 2023:137351. [PMID: 37321388 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2023.137351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
In studying neuromuscular fatigability, researchers commonly use functional criteria to position and hold the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) coil during testing sessions. This could influence the magnitude of corticospinal excitability and inhibition responses due to imprecise and unsteady positions of the coil. To reduce coil position and orientation variability, neuronavigated TMS (nTMS) could be used. We evaluated the accuracy of nTMS and a standardized function-guided procedure for maintaining TMS coil position both in unfatigued and fatigued knee extensors. Eighteen participants (10F/8M) volunteered in two identical and randomized sessions. Maximal and submaximal neuromuscular evaluations were performed with TMS three times before (PRE_1) and three times after (PRE_2) a 2 min resting session and one time immediately after (POST) a 2-min sustained maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). The located "hotspot" [the location that evoked the largest motor-evoked potential (MEP) responses in the rectus femoris] was maintained either with or without nTMS. MEP, silent period (SP) and the distance between the "hotspot" and the actual coil position were recorded. A time × contraction intensity × testing session × muscle interaction was not observed for MEP, SP, and distance. Bland-Altman plots presented adequate agreements for MEP and SP. Spatial accuracy of TMS coil position over the motor cortex did not influence corticospinal excitability and inhibition in unfatigued and fatigued knee extensors. The variability in MEP and SP responses may be due to spontaneous fluctuations in corticospinal excitability and inhibition, and it is not altered by the spatial stability of the stimulation point.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Barbi
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Italy
| | - G Vernillo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Italy
| | - M Emadi Andani
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Italy
| | - G Giuriato
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Italy
| | - F G Laginestra
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Italy
| | - A Cavicchia
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Italy
| | - G Fiorini Aloisi
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Italy
| | - C Martignon
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Italy
| | - A Pedrinolla
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Italy
| | - F Schena
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Italy
| | - M Venturelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Italy.
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