ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study is to determine whether exposure to odours of model food odourants can lead to a change in biochemical and immunological parameters that we previously used when examining the population in the area of food industry enterprises location using the method of quantitative olfacto-odorimetry. Methods. The specified concentrations of aerosols of three food flavours (orange, cognac and coffee) were supplied to the participants of the studies with a help of ECOMA T08 olfactometer. Quantitative composition of the aerosols was controlled by GC/MS. In participants saliva samples taken before, during and at the end of each experiment, the intensity of luminol-dependent chemiluminescence, the content of secretory IgA, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8, the activity of α-amylase and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase were determined. For data analysis, paired Friedman and Wilcoxon tests were used with Bonferroni correction for the problem of multiple comparisons. Results. A reliable effect of the smell of food odourants was found on one indicator only – the activity of salivary α-amylase – when combining data from 5 separate experiments (n=45): 93.3[24.3;160.0] U/ml at the end of the experiments against background values of 109.9 [42.5;216.7] U/ml;, p=0.0096 with a significance level of p=0.05/3=0.017. A decrease in the average values of salivary α-amylase activity was shown to hide opposite changes in individual values: an increase in activity in people with low background values (below the median of the initial distribution) and an amplitude-dominant decrease – in people with high background values (above median). The revealed phenotypic polymorphism of α-amylase regulation contributes to one of relevant Post-COVID areas – the study of the ability of people to perceive odours and react to them. Limitations. The use of olfacto-odorimetry to study effect of odours on human health indicators is promising, but requires design of protocols with extended exposure time. Conclusion. A decrease in average values of salivary α-amylase activity with distinctive forestall of the upper quartile may be a sign of human reflex re sponse to the emission of odourous substances in the areas of food industry. © 2022 Izdatel'stvo Meditsina. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Hospital workers have increased exposure risk of healthcare-associated infections due to the frontline nature of their work. Olfactory dysfunction is highly prevalent. The objectives for this investigation are to study the prevalence of long-lasting olfactory dysfunction associated with COVID-19 infection in hospital workers during the first pandemic wave, to identify clinical characteristics and associated symptomatology, and to analyze how many patients with COVID-19 infection had developed olfactory dysfunction during infection and maintained a reduced olfactory function for approximately 10 weeks after diagnosis. Between June and July of 2020, a cross-sectional study was carried out at the Hospital Central de la Cruz Roja San José and Santa Adela in Madrid, Spain. One hundred sixty-four participants were included, of which 110 were patient-facing healthcare staff and 54 were non-patient-facing healthcare staff. Participants were split into three groups, according to COVID-19 diagnosis and presence of COVID-19 related olfactory symptomatology. Participants were asked to complete a structured online questionnaire along with Sniffin’ Stick Olfactory Test measurements. In this study, 88 participants were confirmed for COVID-19 infection, 59 of those participants also reported olfactory symptomatology. The prevalence of COVID-19 infection was 11.35%, and the prevalence for olfactory dysfunction was 67.05%. Olfactory dysfunction associated with COVID-19 infection leads to long-lasting olfactory loss. Objective assessment with Sniffin’ Stick Olfactory Test points to odor identification as the most affected process. Lemon, liquorice, solvent, and rose are the odors that are worst recognized. Mint, banana, solvent, garlic, coffee, and pineapple, although they are identified, are perceived with less intensity. The findings of this study confirmed a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among the hospital workers.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To study the prevalence of olfactory loss and its associated factors in a Mexican population a cross-sectional analytical study based on a population interviewed about health, epidemiologic aspects, and sense of smell (tested with four scents: rose, banana, perfume, and gas) was conducted to evaluate olfactory detection, memory, and identification. Levels of sense of smell perception were determined when the participants detected, recognized, or identified all (normosmia), 1-3 (hyposmia), or none (anosmia) of the odorants. Associated factors of olfactory dysfunction were identified by multivariate analysis (odds ratio, 95%CI). RECENT FINDINGS: Olfactory dysfunction is a prevalent disorder affecting up to 20% of the general population. In addition to viral infection, including COVID-19, a number of other causes and factors may also be involved. 1,956 surveys were conducted and 1,921 were analyzed. Most of the participants (62.1%) were women. The general prevalence of olfactory dysfunction, regarding detection, was 7.2% (7.1% hyposmia, 0.1% anosmia). Age-related olfactory deterioration was observed in both sexes from the 5th decade of life (OR 2.74, p = 0.0050). Women showed better olfactory identification (OR 0.73, p = 0.0010). Obesity (OR 1.97, p = 0.0070), low educational level, bad/very bad self-perceived olfactory function (OR 2.74, p = 0.0050), olfactory loss for less than one week (OR 1.35, p = 0.0030), exposure to toxics/irritants (OR 1.31, p = 0.0030), active smoking (OR 1.58, p < 0.0010), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (OR 2.68, 95%CI 1.74-4.10, p < 0.0001) were identified as factors associated with olfactory dysfunction. These results in a Mexican population suggest better olfactory identification (verbalization) in females. Age was a determining factor in the olfactory deterioration process and obesity and diabetes mellitus were also associated with olfactory disorders. Finally, these findings reinforce the differential diagnosis with other potential causes of sense of smell loss, during the COVID-19 outbreak.