ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Taste disorders (TDs) have been reported to be very common in patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In most of the hitherto conducted studies, a gustatory assessment was performed on the basis of surveys or self-reports by patients. The aim of our study was to undertake an objective assessment of four basic taste qualities by conducting tasting sessions that allowed detection thresholds in COVID-19 Tunisian patients and to study their associations with inflammation. METHODS: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 89 patients aged between 21 to 70 years who had been diagnosed with COVID-19. We used Burghart taste strips to assess taste perception of the four taste qualities, i.e., sour, bitter, sweet, and salty. Serum levels of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. RESULTS: Taste disorders were reported by 40.4% of the patients, while objective assessments revealed that 63.8% of participants were suffering from hypogeusia and/or ageusia. Sour taste was the most altered (70.8%) gustatory quality. Patients with severe COVID-19 had significantly lower sour and bitter taste scores when compared to patients with minor/moderate forms. There was no significant association between serum inflammatory markers and taste disorders. However, the relationship between bitter and sweet taste qualities and IL-1ß levels was significant (p = 0.018 and p = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate the interest in the objective assessment of taste dysfunctions in COVID-19 patients.
ABSTRACT
Objective: In Tunisia, a total confinement was imposed from March 20 until May 4, 2020. The aim of our work was to assess the impact of this 2-month confinement on the clinical and biological profile of diabetic patients hospitalized in diabetology. Patients and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, observational, descriptive study that involved 110 diabetic patients hospitalized in department A of the National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology of Tunis (Tunisia) from June 1 until June 30, 2020. Results : The mean age of the patients was 49.72±11.99years with ranges ranging from 16 to 77 years old;63.6% of patients were female and 73.6% of patients were type 2. The average duration of diabetes was 11.53±8.62years, with extremes ranging from 0to24 years. The mean level of glycated hemoglobin was 12.03±3.97% and the Body-Mass-Index was 29.44kg/m² with extremes ranging from 16.26to40.19kg/m². Weight gain was reported in 73% of patients with an average of 4.77±1.98kg within 2 months of confinement, with extremes ranging from 2to11kg. Two patients (1.8%) were hospitalized for inaugural diabetic ketosis. The others were admitted for an imbalance(81.8%) or an acute decompensation of their diabetes(16.4%). The factors of imbalance or decompensation were: a poor compliance with hygienic-dietetic measures(90.9%);a medication poor compliance(41.8%), more than half of which(54.3%) was due to the inability of the patient to go to the local health center to obtain his medication;lipodystrophies(42.7% of patients on insulin);a stomatological infection(8.2%);an urinary tract infection(4.5%) and an acute coronary syndrome(0.9%). Conclusions : The diabetic patient is at high risk of a severe form of Covid-19. However, the confinement imposed by the pandemic seems to be one of the factors of diabetes imbalance (in particular by weight gain and poor adherence to therapy). It is therefore essential to strengthen the education and treatment of diabetic patients.