Alteration of Smell and Taste in Asymptomatic and Symptomatic COVID-19 Patients in Sicily, Italy.

OBJECTIVES: Alteration of smell and taste has been reported in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The incidence and clinical-symptomatic manifestation of COVID-19 is different between northern and southern Italy. This study aims to evaluate the onset of alteration of smell and taste in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients in Sicily (extreme south of Italy). METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study was performed on asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID-19 patients tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) from May 1 to May 15, 2020. A questionnaire was used for evaluating the prevalence of smell and taste disorders in COVID-19 patients before performing nasopharyngeal swab. RESULTS: Of the total 292 patients, 242 (83.2%) were negative for SARS-CoV-2 and 50 were positive (16.8%). Twenty-six of the 50 (52%) SARS-CoV-2 positive patients reported smell/taste disorders. Twenty-eight of the 50 (57.1%) SARS-CoV-2 positive patients were hospitalized (group A), and 22 (42.9%) were nonhospitalized (group B). The mean age in group A and group B was 45.4 ± 13.7 years and 57.0 ± 15.0, respectively (P = .007). The symptoms reported by hospitalized patients were fever (71.4%), cough (64.2%), fatigue (82.1%), and dyspnea (100%), while in nonhospitalized patients, the most reported symptoms were sore throat (72.7%), rhinorrhea (77.2%), and altered smell (81.8%). Anosmia/hyposmia reported in group A and group B was 28.5% and 81.8%, respectively (P = .001). CONCLUSION: These preliminary results indicate that the majority of SARS-Cov-2 positive patients in southern Italy did not require hospitalization and presented with milder symptoms or no symptoms and the alterations in smell and taste occurred.

Impact of the anterior commissure involvement on the survival of early glottic cancer treated with cricohyoidoepiglottopexy: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Laryngeal early glottic tumors can benefit from different treatment modalities, including transoral laser microsurgery, open partial horizontal laryngectomy (OPHL), and radiotherapy. However, the treatment of early glottic tumors with the involvement of the anterior commissure remains controversial. The studies about the role of anterior commissure involvement in oncologic outcomes in patients with early glottic cancer treated with supracricoid laryngectomy (SCL) are very few. For this reason, we conducted a retrospective study to evaluate local recurrence-free survival and specific survival in patients with and without involvement of the anterior commissure who underwent SCL with cricohyoidoepiglottopexy. METHODS: This retrospective study has been carried out on patients with T1b-T2 glottic squamous cell carcinoma submitted to SCL with cricohyoidoepiglottopexy. The patients' demographic and clinical data were collected, and the histological findings of the surgical specimens were reviewed to identify patients who had involvement of the anterior commissure. RESULTS: A total of 72 patients were included in the study; two of them were female and 70 were male. The mean age at diagnosis was 61.5±8.0 SD years. In 26 of the 72 (36.2%) patients, anterior commissure was not pathologically involved (group A), while in 46 (63.8%) patients, it was involved (group B). The 5-year local recurrence-free survival rate was 96.1% and 93.48% in groups A and B, respectively, P=0.09. The 5-year disease-specific survival rate was 92.31% and 95.65% in groups A and B, respectively, P=0.057. CONCLUSION: SCL with cricohyoidoepiglottopexy seems to be an adequate treatment modality, even for T1b-T2 glottic tumors with anterior commissure involvement.