Epidemiology and aetiology of chronic rhinosinusitis in Asia-A narrative review.

BACKGROUND: Despite having a similar prevalence to Western populations, literature on chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in the Asian population is sparse. There is limited data on the epidemiology and aetiology of CRS in Asia. OBJECTIVES: To review the current literature on the epidemiology and aetiology of CRS in Asia. METHODS: This is a narrative review of published data on the epidemiology and aetiology of CRS. Studies on CRS in Asian countries, published in English and indexed on PubMed or Google Scholar were reviewed. Where available, data extracted included epidemiology, endotype and cytokine profiles and genetic profiles. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The prevalence of CRS in Asia ranges widely from 2.1% to 28.4%. Type 2 inflammation has been reported in 5%-55% of Asian patients, with lower levels of Type 2 cytokines reported in head to head comparisons of Western versus Asian patients. Notably, there exists marked heterogeneity in criterion of the tissue eosinophilic infiltration for diagnosis of type 2 CRS. Our review suggests that differences in prevalence of CRS and proportion of eosinophilic CRS between Asia and Europe and the Americas requires further study. Large-scale Asian studies utilising standardised definitions are needed to bridge this gap. Head to head genetic and microbiomal analysis may also be useful in understanding differences in CRS between the Asian and Western populations.

Exploring the Clinical Utility of Gustatory Dysfunction (GD) as a Triage Symptom Prior to Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) in the Diagnosis of COVID-19: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of COVID-19 is made using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) but its sensitivity varies from 20 to 100%. The presence of gustatory dysfunction (GD) in a patient with upper respiratory tract symptoms might increase the clinical suspicion of COVID-19. AIMS: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR+), negative likelihood ratio (LR-) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of using GD as a triage symptom prior to RT-PCR. METHODS: PubMed and Embase were searched up to 20 June 2021. Studies published in English were included if they compared the frequency of GD in COVID-19 adult patients (proven by RT-PCR) to COVID-19 negative controls in case control or cross-sectional studies. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. RESULTS: 21,272 COVID-19 patients and 52,298 COVID-19 negative patients were included across 44 studies from 21 countries. All studies were of moderate to high risk of bias. Patients with GD were more likely to test positive for COVID-19: DOR 6.39 (4.86-8.40), LR+ 3.84 (3.04-4.84), LR- 0.67 (0.64-0.70), pooled sensitivity 0.37 (0.29-0.47) and pooled specificity 0.92 (0.89-0.94). While history/questionnaire-based assessments were predictive of RT-PCR positivity (DOR 6.62 (4.95-8.85)), gustatory testing was not (DOR 3.53 (0.98-12.7)). There was significant heterogeneity among the 44 studies (I2 = 92%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: GD is useful as a symptom to determine if a patient should undergo further testing, especially in resource-poor regions where COVID-19 testing is scarce. Patients with GD may be advised to quarantine while repeated testing is performed if the initial RT-PCR is negative. FUNDING: None.

Frequency and Clinical Utility of Olfactory Dysfunction in COVID-19: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) has been gaining recognition as a symptom of COVID-19, but its clinical utility has not been well defined. OBJECTIVES: To quantify the clinical utility of identifying OD in the diagnosis of COVID-19 and determine an estimate of the frequency of OD amongst these patients. METHODS: PubMed was searched up to 1 August 2020. Meta-analysis A included studies if they compared the frequency of OD in COVID-19 positive patients (proven by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) to COVID-19 negative controls. Meta-analysis B included studies if they described the frequency of OD in COVID-19 positive patients and if OD symptoms were explicitly asked in questionnaires or interviews or if smell tests were performed. RESULTS: The pooled frequency of OD in COVID-19 positive patients (17,401 patients, 60 studies) was 0.56 (0.47-0.64) but differs between detection via smell testing (0.76 [0.51-0.91]) and survey/questionnaire report (0.53 [0.45-0.62]), although not reaching statistical significance (p = 0.089). Patients with reported OD were more likely to test positive for COVID-19 (diagnostic odds ratio 11.5 [8.01-16.5], sensitivity 0.48 (0.40 to 0.56), specificity 0.93 (0.90 to 0.96), positive likelihood ratio 6.10 (4.47-8.32) and negative likelihood ratio 0.58 (0.52-0.64)). There was significant heterogeneity amongst studies with possible publication bias. CONCLUSION: Frequency of OD in COVID-19 differs greatly across studies. Nevertheless, patients with reported OD were significantly more likely to test positive for COVID-19. Patient-reported OD is a highly specific symptom of COVID-19 which should be included as part of the pre-test screening of suspect patients.

Outcomes of Percutaneous Cholecystostomy for Acute Cholecystitis.

BACKGROUND: Acute cholecystitis (AC) is an important cause of emergency admissions among the elderly. The use of percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) as bridging therapy among high-risk patients is widely accepted. However, the use of PC as definitive treatment is controversial. AIM: To determine the characteristics, clinical outcomes and predictors of recurrence of AC among patients who underwent PC. METHODS: A retrospective case series of 71 consecutive patients [73 (38-96) years, 43/71 males] treated with PC for AC at a tertiary hospital from 2007 to 2013, with data collected from case records. RESULTS: Patients were followed up for 37.0 (0.1-110.8) months after PC. Mortality rate was 8.5 % (6/71) during the index admission and 32.4 % (23/71) at the end of follow-up. Recurrence rate for AC was 11.9 % (7/59). Median time to recurrence was 62 (13-464) days. PC was definitive treatment in 33/59. Predictors of recurrence were higher serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) at diagnosis (OR = 1.01, 95 % CI 1.00-1.02, p = 0.021) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during index admission (OR = 8.00, 95 % CI 1.19-54.0, p = 0.033). Fifteen patients (26.3 %, 15/71) had post-procedural complications including dislodgement (14 %, 10/71), tube obstruction (7.0 %, 5/71), bile leaks (2.8 %, 2/71), gallbladder perforation (1.4 %, 1/71), bowels perforation (1.4 %, 1/71) and severe post-procedural haemorrhage (1.4 %, 1/71). CONCLUSION: PC is effective and relatively safe in high-risk patients with AC. However, patients with higher ALP or AMI during index admission have higher risk of recurrence and might benefit from definitive cholecystectomy.

Topical versus oral antibiotics, with or without corticosteroids, in the treatment of tympanostomy tube otorrhea.

OBJECTIVE: Antibiotic treatment is the standard of care for tympanostomy tube otorrhea. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy of topical antibiotics with or without corticosteroids versus oral antibiotics in the treatment of tube otorrhea in children. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and ProQuest. REVIEW METHODS: The above databases were searched using a search strategy for randomized controlled trials for optimal treatment of tube otorrhea in the pediatric population. PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed. Primary outcome was cure (i.e. clearance of otorrhea) at 2-3 weeks. Secondary outcomes were microbiological eradication and complications such as dermatitis and diarrhea. The incidence of these events was defined as dichotomous variables and expressed as a risk ratio (RR) and number needed to benefit (NNTB) in a random-effects model. RESULTS: We identified 1491 articles and selected 4 randomized controlled trials which met our inclusion criteria. Topical treatment had better cure (NNTB = 4.7, pooled RR = 1.35, p < 0.001) and microbiological eradication (NNTB = 3.5, pooled RR = 1.47, p < 0.001 among 3 of the studies) than oral antibiotics. Oral antibiotics had higher risk of diarrhea (pooled RR = 21.5, 95% CI 8.00-58.0, p < 0.001, Number needed to harm (NNTH) = 5.4) and dermatitis (pooled RR = 3.14, 95% CI 1.20-8.20, p = 0.019, NNTH = 32). The use of topical steroids in addition to topical antibiotics was associated with a higher cure rate (pooled RR = 1.59, p < 0.001 vs pooled RR = 1.57, p = 0.293). CONCLUSION: Topical antibiotics should be the recommended treatment for management of tympanostomy tube otorrhea in view of its significantly improved clinical and microbiological efficacy with lower risk of systemic toxicity as compared to oral antibiotics. Further research is necessary to confirm the benefits of topical corticosteroids as an adjunct to topical antibiotics.