ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: People with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who experience symptoms for more than 35 weeks are said to have long COVID. Anosmia can occur on its own or in combination with other COVID-19 symptoms. Anosmia may be a significant differential presentation for the suspicion and diagnosis of COVID-19 in patients with asymptomatic-to-mild COVID-19 disease and may disappear in 3 weeks. This study sought to determine the prevalence of persistent loss of taste and smell following COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted among Saudi citizens who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 for more than 2 weeks and had experienced a loss of taste and smell. Data was collected using a questionnaire having questions about demographics, long-lasting loss of taste and smell, whether this related to COVID-19 infection, and whether respondents had received the COVID-19 vaccine. SPSS was used for data analysis; statistical significance was determined using Chi-square test. RESULTS: A total of 383 Saudis who had a history of COVID-19 participated in the study. About 43.3% study participants had experienced persistent loss of taste and smell after COVID-19 infection. A significant association was found between loss of smell and the region, Northern region having highest proportion of study participants who had loss of smell and Western region having the lowest prevalence (34%). CONCLUSION: There were permanent changes in the sense of taste or smell in 34.3% of participants. This might add to the growing weight of long COVID.
ABSTRACT
The incidence rates of sepsis and septic shock as a complication have become more common over the past several decades. With this increase, sepsis remains the most common cause of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and one of the most mortality factors, with a huge burden on healthcare facilities. Septic shock has devastating consequences on patients' lives, including organ failures and other long-term complications. Due to its dynamic clinical presentations, guidelines and tools have been established to improve the diagnosis and management effectively. However, there is still a need for evidence-based standardized procedures for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of sepsis and septic shock patients due to the inconsistency of current guidelines and studies contrasting with each other. The standardization would help physicians better manage sepsis, minimize complications and reduce mortality. Septic shock is usually challenging to manage due to its variety of clinical characteristics and physiologic dynamics, affecting the outcomes. Therefore, this review presented the available data in the literature on septic shock diagnosis, management, and prognosis to have an overview of the updated best practice approach to septic shock.
