Phantosmia and Migraine with and Without Headache

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Phantosmia and Migraine with and Without Headache ISSN 0017-8748 Headache doi: 10.1111/head.12890 VC 2016 American Headache Society Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Expert Opinions Phantosmia and Migraine With and Without Headache Yasmin I. Jion, MD; Brian M. Grosberg, MD; Randolph W. Evans, MD Phantosmia is a rare migraine aura. We present two cases of phantosmias occurring before migraine headaches and also without headaches. To our knowledge, these are the third and fourth cases of phantosmias ever reported due to migraine aura without headache. Key words: phantosmia, olfactory hallucination, migraine, headache (Headache 2016;00:00-00) CASE HISTORIES take acetaminophen with relief in 1–2 hours. Stress Case 1.—This is a 53-year-old female with a 9- was a trigger. month history of smelling a dirty dog smell as often as She saw a cardiologist about 1 month after 2–3 times a day or up to 4 days without the smell with onset and had a CT of the brain without contrast an average duration of 5 minutes (range 30 seconds to on 1/19/15 that was normal. She saw two ENT phy- 1 hour) followed by a headache about every 2 weeks sicians who found normal exams. but most of the time without an associated headache. Past medical history of hyperlipidemia on prav- She described a bifrontal throbbing headache with an astatin. Family history: sister has migraine. Neuro- intensity of 6/10 associated with nausea, light and noise logical examination was normal. sensitivity but no vomiting. She always takes ibuprofen MRI of the brain with and without contrast was with relief in 1 hour. During the episodes, there is no normal. EEG was normal. A complete blood count, alteration of consciousness. She has no triggers. She chemistry profile, thyroid functions, erythrocyte sedi- denied depression, anxiety, or increased stress. mentation rate, antinuclear antibody, rheumatoid Prior to 9 months ago, she had occasional head- arthritis factor, and Sjogren’s antibodies were negative. aches since her 20s described as bitemporal aching She declined a trial of migraine preventive with an intensity of 7/10 associated with light and medication. noise sensitivity but no nausea or aura. She would Case 2.—This is a 69-year-old female with a his- tory of headaches since age 35 that have been occurring about 6 days per month the prior 12 weeks since starting onabotulinum toxin A 2 years From the National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore (Y.I. Jion); Hartford Healthcare Headache Center, Wethersfield, previously and before about 4–6 days per week CT, USA (B.M. Grosberg); Department of Neurology, Bay- since age 45–50 years. She described a top of the lor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA (R.W. Evans). head and/or then left or right sided throbbing with Address all correspondence to Y.I. Jion, National Neurosci- an intensity of 7–10/10 associated with nausea, light ence Institute, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, 308433 Singapore, and noise sensitivity but no vomiting or visual, email [email protected] Accepted for publication June 21, 2016. Conflict of Interest: None. 1 2 Month 2016 sensory, or language aura. She took naratriptan chronic migraine with onabotulinum toxin A with relief in about 3–4 hours. Change of weather injections. was a trigger. Alterations in the sense of smell can be broadly For the past 20 years, once every 1–2 weeks, classified into quantitative dysfunction (hyperosmia, she would smell something burning like a campfire hyposmia, and anosmia) and qualitative dysfunction 90% of the time and like burning rubber 10% of (parosmia and phantosmia).1,2 A distortion of the the time lasting 15 minutes to 2 hours. Three times, perceived odor is termed parosmia or troposmia, first about 18 years ago and last about 1 month while the perception of an odor when there is no ago, she had a menthol smell lasting about 1 hour odorant stimulus present in the environment is to 2 days. The smell would precede a typical head- termed phantosmia, cacosmia, or olfactory halluci- ache 1 hour to a few hours later. She also reported nation.3,4 Phantosmia typically lasts longer than a occasional episodes of the abnormal smell occurring few seconds, while olfactory hallucination usually without a headache. Since starting onabotulinum lasts only a few seconds.4,5 toxin A injections, the frequency of olfactory hallu- The occurrence of abnormal perception of odor cinations decreased to every few months. When she has long been described in ancient times as early as went 10 months between injections, the hallucina- 131 A.D. by Aretaeus, a Cappodocian: “a heavy smell tions increased after 5 months to about twice a sometimes preceded the accession of a paroxysm.”6 month. In migraine, the majority of patients have normal Propranolol, venlafaxine, divalproex, and verap- olfactory function.7 During a migraine episode, olfac- amil were not effective for prevention. MRI of the tory acuity may be impaired with a minority exhibit- brain in 2015 showed non-specific white matter ing microsmia or hyposmia during acute attacks and abnormalities. decreased olfactory sensitivity.7,8 However, a height- Past medical history of hyperlidemia and fibro- ened sense of smell/olfactory hypersensitivity has also myalgia. Recent nuclear cardiac stress test negative. been described during both a migraine attack and Neurological examination was normal. between attacks in up to 46 and 35%, respectively.9–11 Questions. What is the diagnosis? How com- These patients tend to have greater frequency of mon is this disorder in adults and children? What migraines, odor-induced migraines and visual hyper- might be the mechanism? How do you distinguish sensitivity. About 50% of migraineurs report that phantosmias due to migraine from other disorders? odors can also trigger their migraine attacks and olfac- What is the treatment? tory hallucinations sometimes develop during What Is the Diagnosis?.—Case 1 presents with a migraine.9,12–15 There is suggestion of the role of the phantosmia of a dirty dog lasting 30 seconds to 1 piriform cortex and antero-superior temporal gyrus in hour with an average of 5 minutes sometimes fol- olfactory hypersensitivity in migraine, as well as dys- lowed by a migraine headache and often occurring function in central olfactory processing.8,16,17 without a headache. MRI of the brain and EEG The description of phantosmia in both cases were normal. meets the criteria of aura, 5–60 minutes, followed Case 2 presents with a 34 year history of by headache and is consistent with similar case migraine without aura and a 20 year history of a series and not consistent with epilepsy as discussed burning smell lasting 15–120 minutes and rarely a below.18 Case 2 did have some episodes of phantos- menthol smell before a migraine headache. She mia lasting more than 1 hour which is not uncom- also reported occasional episodes of the burning mon for various migraine auras and phantosmia smell occurring without a headache. MRI of the (discussed below).19 Interestingly, the International brain showed only non-specific white matter abnor- Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) does malities. The frequency of the episodes of phantos- not yet recognize the presence of olfactory aura as mias significantly decreased after treatment of a migrainous aura.20 Headache 3 How Common Is This Disorder in Adults and interestingly found to predict the development of Children?.—Phantosmia has been found to occur in clinical psychosis at a 10-year reevaluation.33 Olfac- 6% of community dwelling adults and up to 12% in tory hallucination has also been described in a tertiary otolaryngology clinic.21,22 The majority depression (19–33%) and in up to 10% of non- had concomitant anosmia/hyposmia, and most demented Parkinson’s disease patients, though phantosmias presented with no history of upper prevalence is less (5%) in those without accompa- respiratory tract infection, head trauma or aging nying visual and auditory hallucination.35,36 In tem- (idiopathic).1,4,22 A typical history begins in a wom- poral lobe epilepsy, estimated prevalence ranges an between the ages of 15–30 years old, who no- from 0.6 to 30%.35,37–40 A higher prevalence has tices odor perception that is not appreciated by been reported in those with head injury and those others. Odors last 5–20 minutes each time and with decreased smell and taste acuity in up to resolve spontaneously. Recurrent episodes may 40–60% of patients.35 occur more frequently and may last longer subse- What Might Be the Mechanism?.—The mecha- quently. They may be perceived arising from one nism behind phantosmia has not been clearly eluci- or both nostrils, and resolve with sleep, Valsalva dated. Theories of abnormal peripheral as well as maneuver, or occlusion or instrumentation of the central mechanisms have been postulated.2,4,5 nostril.4 Proponents of the peripheral theory highlight The first case of olfactory hallucination in phantosmia being worse in the nostril with the migraine was described in 1982.12 The late Oliver poorer olfactory ability, the fact that phantosmia can Sacks also reported seeing several migraine patients be eliminated by occluding air flow and anesthetiz- with hallucinations of smell associated with forced ing the olfactory mucosa in the affected nostril. His- reminiscence and feelings of deja vu.23 Since then, topathological studies also demonstrated decreased multiple case reports have highlighted this phenome- number of neurons, greater ratio of immature to non with migraines.13,20,24–27 Estimated prevalence mature neurons and disordered growth of olfactory ranged from 0.1% in consecutive migraine
Recommended publications
  • Taste and Smell Disorders in Clinical Neurology
    TASTE AND SMELL DISORDERS IN CLINICAL NEUROLOGY OUTLINE A. Anatomy and Physiology of the Taste and Smell System B. Quantifying Chemosensory Disturbances C. Common Neurological and Medical Disorders causing Primary Smell Impairment with Secondary Loss of Food Flavors a. Post Traumatic Anosmia b. Medications (prescribed & over the counter) c. Alcohol Abuse d. Neurodegenerative Disorders e. Multiple Sclerosis f. Migraine g. Chronic Medical Disorders (liver and kidney disease, thyroid deficiency, Diabetes). D. Common Neurological and Medical Disorders Causing a Primary Taste disorder with usually Normal Olfactory Function. a. Medications (prescribed and over the counter), b. Toxins (smoking and Radiation Treatments) c. Chronic medical Disorders ( Liver and Kidney Disease, Hypothyroidism, GERD, Diabetes,) d. Neurological Disorders( Bell’s Palsy, Stroke, MS,) e. Intubation during an emergency or for general anesthesia. E. Abnormal Smells and Tastes (Dysosmia and Dysgeusia): Diagnosis and Treatment F. Morbidity of Smell and Taste Impairment. G. Treatment of Smell and Taste Impairment (Education, Counseling ,Changes in Food Preparation) H. Role of Smell Testing in the Diagnosis of Neurodegenerative Disorders 1 BACKGROUND Disorders of taste and smell play a very important role in many neurological conditions such as; head trauma, facial and trigeminal nerve impairment, and many neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson Disorders, Lewy Body Disease and Frontal Temporal Dementia. Impaired smell and taste impairs quality of life such as loss of food enjoyment, weight loss or weight gain, decreased appetite and safety concerns such as inability to smell smoke, gas, spoiled food and one’s body odor. Dysosmia and Dysgeusia are very unpleasant disorders that often accompany smell and taste impairments.
    [Show full text]
  • Loss of Taste and Smell After Brain Injury
    Loss of taste and smell after brain injury Introduction Following a brain injury many people report that their senses of taste and/or smell have been affected. This may be as a consequence of injury to the nasal passages, damage to the nerves in the nose and mouth, or to areas of the brain itself. Loss or changes to smell and taste are particularly common after severe brain injury or stroke and, if the effects are due to damage to the brain itself, recovery is rare. The effects are also often reported after minor head injuries and recovery in these cases is more common. If recovery does occur, it is usually within a few months of the injury and recovery after more than two years is rare. Sadly, there are no treatments available for loss of taste and smell, so this factsheet is designed to provide practical suggestions on how you can compensate. It provides information on health, safety and hygiene issues, suggestions to help you to maintain a healthy, balanced diet, information on psychological effects and some other issues to consider. How are taste and smell affected by brain injury? The two senses can both be affected in a number of different ways and some definitions of the terms for the different conditions are provided below: Disorders of smell Anosmia Total loss of sense of smell Hyposmia Partial loss of sense of smell Hyperosmia Enhanced sensitivity to odours Phantosmia/Parosmia ‘False’ smells – Perceiving smells that aren’t there Dysosmia Distortion in odour perception Disorders of taste Dysgeusia Distortion or decrease in the sense of taste Ageusia Total loss of sense of taste Dysgensia Persistent abnormal taste Parageusia Perceiving a bad taste in the mouth 1 The two senses are connected and much of the sensation of taste is due to smell, so if the sense of smell is lost then the ability to detect flavour will be greatly affected.
    [Show full text]
  • Smell Distortions: Prevalence, Longevity and Impact of Parosmia in a Population-Based, Longitudinal Study Spanning 10 Years
    Smell distortions: Prevalence, longevity and impact of parosmia in a population-based, longitudinal study spanning 10 years Jonas K. Olofsson*1, Fredrik Ekesten1, & Steven Nordin2 1Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden 2Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden *Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract. Parosmia, experiences of distorted smell sensations, is a common consequence of covid-19. The phenomenon is not well understood in terms of its impact and long-term outcomes. We examined parosmia in a population-based sample from the Betula study that was conducted in Umeå in northern Sweden (baseline data collected in 1998-2000). We used a baseline sample of 2168 individuals aged 35-90 years and with no cognitive impairment at baseline. We investigated the prevalence of parosmia and, using regression analyses, its relationship to other olfactory and cognitive variables and quality of life. Benefitting from the longitudinal study design, we also assessed the persistence of parosmia over 5 and 10 years prospectively. Parosmia was prevalent in 5% of the population (n=104) and was often co- occurring with phantosmia (“olfactory hallucinations”), but was not associated with lower self-rated overall quality of life or poor performance on olfactory or cognitive tests. For some individuals, parosmia was retained 5 years (17%) or even 10 years later (10%). Thus, parosmia is relative common in the population, and can be persistent for some individuals. This work provides rare insights into the expected impact of, and recovery from parosmia, with implications for those suffering from qualitative olfactory dysfunction following covid-19. 2 Introduction Parosmia is an olfactory disorder (OD) where odor perception is distorted and different stimuli trigger unpleasant odor sensations previously not associated with the stimuli (i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Is a Major Neuro­Transmitter Widely Distributed Throughout the Central Nervous System (CNS)
    Alternative Medicine Review Volume 12, Number 3 2007 Monograph GABA Gamma-Aminobutyric O + Acid (GABA) H3N O- Introduction Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a major neuro transmitter widely distributed throughout the central nervous system (CNS). Because too much excitation can lead to irritability, restlessness, insomnia, seizures, and movement disorders, it must be balanced with inhibition. GABA – the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain – provides this inhibition, acting like a “brake” during times of runaway stress. Medications for anxiety, such as benzodiazepines, stimulate GABA receptors and induce relaxation. Either low GABA levels or decreased GABA function in the brain is associated with several psy- chiatric and neurological disorders, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, and epilepsy. Studies indicate GABA can improve relaxation and enhance sleep. Both synthetic and natural GABA are available as dietary supplements in the United States. Natural GABA is produced via a fermentation process that utilizes Lactobacillus hilgardii – the bacteria used to ferment vegetables in the preparation of the traditional Korean dish known as kimchi. Biochemistry and Pharmacokinetics Within the brain, glutamic acid is converted to GABA via the enzyme glutamate decarboxylase and its cofac- tor pyridoxal 5’ phosphate (P5P; active vitamin B6). GABA is metabolized by gamma-aminobutyrate transaminase, also a P5P-dependent enzyme, forming an intermediate metabolite succinate semialdehyde. This metabolite can then be reduced to gamma-hydroxybutyrate, or oxidized to succinate and eventually converted to CO2 and water via the citric acid cycle. When plasma membrane depolarization induces the release of GABA from nerve terminals, GABA binds to GABA receptors – such as the GABAA and GABAB receptors – that are distributed on post-synaptic cell membranes.
    [Show full text]
  • Let's Talk About . . . Migraine and Dizziness
    LET’S TALK ABOUT . MIGRAINE AND DIZZINESS Migraine is almost as common as high blood Key points pressure in the Canadian population. It is more • A migraine is a severe headache. common than asthma or diabetes. An estimated 300,000 Canadians suffer needlessly because they • Of over 300 types of migraine, dizziness is have either been misdiagnosed or not diagnosed a symptom of two: migraine with brainstem with chronic migraine. aura and vestibular migraine. • See a doctor who specialized in headaches for accurate diagnosis. What are the symptoms of migraine with dizziness? • Lifestyle changes may help prevent or lessen the occurrence of migraine. Common symptoms include: • Medication may help prevent migraine. • Visual aura – you may see flashes of light or have blind spots in your vision. • Localized pain behind or near the eye on one Note: Concussion also causes migraine-type side of your head. dizziness – concussion sufferers can substitute the • Light, sound (hyperacusis) and odor sensitivity word “concussion” for “migraine” in the information (hyperosmia). You may have some sensitivity below. daily and increased sensitivity when you have migraine. • Visual vestibular mismatch (the brain’s What is migraine? hypersensitivity to motion) is common in Migraine is a neurovascular headache, meaning it migraine-type brains both episodically and can be triggered by annoyance or disturbance to chronically. Sometimes it will occur without the nerves or blood vessels in the brain. All headache and you may feel “off” for an hour or migraines are caused by the same type of two. neurotransmitter dysregulation and respond to the • Vertigo (spinning sensation) – it may start same treatments.
    [Show full text]
  • Sixty Seconds on . . . Parosmia
    NEWS The BMJ BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.m4332 on 9 November 2020. Downloaded from Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m4332 Sixty seconds on . parosmia http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4332 Abi Rimmer Published: 09 November 2020 I’ve heard of anosmia but what's this? The charity Fifth Sense explains that parosmia is the medical term for distortions of the sense of smell. Someone with parosmia may be able to detect odours, but the smell of certain things—or sometimes everything—is different, and often unpleasant.1 Such as? Jennifer Spicer, a US based infectious diseases doctor, said that following her recovery from covid-19, coffee, wine, and other foods tasted like gasoline.2 Nicola Watt, who also recovered from the virus, described similar symptoms to the Times.3 “Quite suddenly everything smelt and tasted like a horrid rubbish bin,” Watt said. Sounds awful. Is this from covid-19? Not specifically. Parosmia is common with all types of post-viral smell loss, and over half of people who have lost their sense of smell because of a virus will go on to experience it.4 Fragrance writer Louise Woollam, for example, suffered from parosmia after a cold and found that most foods tasted of sewage or mud and most things smelt disgusting.5 How awful! Yes, and what’s worse Woollam, like many other people, experienced phantosmia as well when “phantom” smells appear in the absence of any odour. These can manifest as “normal” smells – for example, being able to smell garlic when there is no garlic present – but they can also be unpleasant.1 Is there a cure? Unfortunately not.
    [Show full text]
  • Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment of Olfactory Dysfunction
    Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment of Olfactory Dysfunction Seok Hyun Cho Hanyang Med Rev 2014;34:107-115 http://dx.doi.org/10.7599/hmr.2014.34.3.107 Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea pISSN 1738-429X eISSN 2234-4446 Olfactory dysfunction is a relatively common disorder that is often under-recognized by Correspondence to: Seok Hyun Cho Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head both patients and clinicians. It occurs more frequently in older ages and men, and decreases and Neck Surgery, Hanyang University patients’ quality of life, as olfactory dysfunction may affect the emotion and memory func- Hospital, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, tions. Three main causes of olfactory dysfunction are sinonasal diseases, upper respiratory Seoul 133-792, Korea Tel: +82-2-2290-8583 viral infection, and head trauma. Olfactory dysfunction is classified quantitatively (hypos- Fax: +82-2-2293-3335 mia and anosmia) and qualitatively (parosmia and phantosmia). From a pathophysiologi- E-mail: [email protected] cal perspective, olfactory dysfunction is also classified by conductive or sensorineural types. All patients with olfactory dysfunction will need a complete history and physical examina- Received 17 April 2014 Revised 23 June 2014 tion to identify any possible or underlying causes and psychophysical olfactory tests are Accepted 3 July 2014 essential to estimate the residual olfactory function, which is the most important prognos- This is an Open Access article distributed under tic factor. CT or MRI may be adjunctively used in some indicated cases such as head trauma the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution and neurodegenerative disorders.
    [Show full text]
  • Olfactory Dysfunction
    Olfactory Dysfunction: By Steven Sobol, MD, MSc; Saul Frenkiel, MD, FRCSC; and Debbie Mouadeb he sense of smell plays an important role in protecting Tman from environmental dangers, such as fire, natural gas leaks and spoiled food. Physiologically, the chemical senses aid in normal digestion by triggering gastrointestinal secretions.1 Smell influences the palatability of food. Defects in the sense of smell are associated with alterations in perceptions of flavor, leading to anorexia and weight loss. Psychologically, smell is powerful in establishing strong positive and negative memories, and affects socialization and interpersonal relationships. Smell dysfunctions often mean considerable disability and a lower quality of life. Loss or decreased olfactory function affects approximately one per cent of Americans under the age of 60 and more than half the population over that age.2 Aside from having a substantial impact on an individual’s quality of life, olfactory dysfunction may signal an underlying disease. Smell disorders have been largely overlooked by the medical community because of a lack of knowledge and understanding of the sense of smell and its disease states, as well its diagnosis and management. Patients with olfactory disorders need to be clinically assessed, and the etiology and anatomical location of their disorder should be sought out. The Canadian Journal of Diagnosis / August 2002 55 Olfactory Dysfunction Summary What are the causes of olfactory dysfunction? 1.Conductive olfactory loss is any process that causes sufficient obstruction in the nose preventing odorant molecules from reaching the olfactory epithelium. 2.Sensorineural olfactory loss is any process that directly affects and impairs either the olfactory epithelium or the central olfactory pathways.
    [Show full text]
  • Phantosmia - Advice for Primary Care Dept Clinical Neurosciences and ENT, NHS Lothian
    Phantosmia - advice for primary care Dept Clinical Neurosciences and ENT, NHS Lothian. Feb 2021. Phantosmia Phantosmia is the smelling of an odour that isn’t there. It is also called ‘olfactory hallucination’. Hyposmia/anosmia means reduced/loss of sense of smell. Parosmia is when people have an altered sense of smell for something that other people can smell. Key features Phantosmia is a surprisingly common reason for referral to our neurology outpatient Phantosmia is nearly always service. This was the case even before Covid-19 and we anticipate that there will be an benign increase in the problem which is why we made this factsheet. Smells are typically of something burnt, smoky, or Most people with phantosmia report it as an intermittent smell of something burnt, foul foul but can be pleasant. or unpleasant. Cigarette smoke and petrol are common but olfactory experiences can be It can follow on from loss of varied. Sometimes it can be persistent. smell and taste – e.g., after covid-19 What causes Phantosmia? There are many potential causes of phantosmia although most are ‘idiopathic’. In a population study of 2569 Swedish adults over the age of 60, 5% had this symptom. Smoky/Burnt – was the runaway “smell” in this study. Idiopathic – by far the commonest cause Structural – much rarer. Just as people can develop Charles Bonnet visual hallucinations when they can’t see, or musical hallucinations when they can’t hear, so olfactory hallucinations can occur whenever the usual olfactory pathways, either in the nose or brain, are disrupted. Should I be worried about neurological disease? The answer is ‘hardly ever’, especially if 1 in 20 people already have it.
    [Show full text]
  • Olfactory Dysfunction in COVID-19 Diagnosis and Management
    Clinical Review & Education JAMA Insights | CLINICAL UPDATE Olfactory Dysfunction in COVID-19 Diagnosis and Management Katherine Lisa Whitcroft, BSc, MBChB; Thomas Hummel, MD As of May 1, 2020, more than 3 000 000 people worldwide have olfactory neuroepithelium may result in inflammatory changes been infected with the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory that impair olfactory receptor neuron function, cause subsequent syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The CDC has highlighted key olfactory receptor neuron damage, and/or impair subsequent symptoms that may suggest coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), neurogenesis. Such changes may cause temporary or longer- including cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, lasting OD. Previous work in transgenic animal models showed chills, muscle pain, sore throat, and new loss of smell or taste.1 intracranial entry of SARS-CoV via the olfactory bulb.8 This has led The inclusion of loss of smell or taste among these symptoms to speculation that SARS-CoV-2 may penetrate intracranially with follows the emergence of evidence that suggests that COVID-19 fre- possible downstream effects on olfactory and nonolfactory brain quently impairs the sense of smell. For example, in a study from Iran, regions, which may adversely affect olfactory function. 59 of 60 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were found to have an impaired sense of smell according to psychophysical olfactory Clinical Assessment testing.2 Olfactory dysfunction (OD), defined as the reduced or dis- During the current pandemic, patients with recent-onset acute torted ability to smell during sniffing (orthonasal olfaction) or eat- smell and/or taste dysfunction, with or without other symptoms of ing (retronasal olfaction), is often reported in mild or even asymp- COVID-19, should undergo a period of self-isolation and, when pos- tomatic cases; in a study from Italy,64% of 202 mildly symptomatic sible, SARS-CoV-2 testing.
    [Show full text]
  • Neurological Manifestations As the Predictors of Severity and Mortality
    Amanat et al. BMC Neurology (2021) 21:116 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-021-02152-5 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Neurological manifestations as the predictors of severity and mortality in hospitalized individuals with COVID-19: a multicenter prospective clinical study Man Amanat1, Nima Rezaei2,3,4, Mehrdad Roozbeh5, Maziar Shojaei6, Abbas Tafakhori7, Anahita Zoghi6, Ilad Alavi Darazam8, Mona Salehi1, Ehsan Karimialavijeh9, Behnam Safarpour Lima6, Amir Garakani10,11, Alexander Vaccaro12 and Mahtab Ramezani13* Abstract Backgrounds: The reports of neurological symptoms are increasing in cases with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19). This multi-center prospective study was conducted to determine the incidence of neurological manifestations in hospitalized cases with COVID-19 and assess these symptoms as the predictors of severity and death. Methods: Hospitalized males and females with COVID-19 who aged over 18 years were included in the study. They were examined by two neurologists at the time of admission. All survived cases were followed for 8 weeks after discharge and 16 weeks if their symptoms had no improvements. Results: We included 873 participants. Of eligible cases, 122 individuals (13.97%) died during hospitalization. The most common non-neurological manifestations were fever (81.1%), cough (76.1%), fatigue (36.1%), and shortness of breath (27.6%). Aging, male gender, co-morbidity, smoking, hemoptysis, chest tightness, and shortness of breath were associated with increased odds of severe cases and/or mortality. There were 561 (64.3%) cases with smell and taste dysfunctions (hyposmia: 58.6%; anosmia: 41.4%; dysguesia: 100%). They were more common among females (69.7%) and non-smokers (66.7%).
    [Show full text]
  • A Connective Tissue Disorder May Underlie ESSENCE Problems In
    G Model RIDD-2963; No. of Pages 11 ARTICLE IN PRESS Research in Developmental Disabilities xxx (2016) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Research in Developmental Disabilities Review article A connective tissue disorder may underlie ESSENCE problems in childhood a,∗ b c,d Carolina Baeza-Velasco , Rodney Grahame , Jaime F. Bravo a Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Psychopathology and Health Process, University Paris Descartes – Sorbonne Paris Cité, Boulogne-Billancourt, France b Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK c Medical School, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile d Rheumatology Unit, San Juan de Dios Hospital, Santiago, Chile a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: Background: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome hypermobility type, also known as Joint Hypermo- Received 19 May 2016 bility Syndrome (EDS-HT/JHS), is the most common hereditary disorder of the connective Received in revised form 24 October 2016 tissue (HDCT). It is characterized by tissue fragility, joint hypermobility and a wide range Accepted 25 October 2016 of articular and non-articular manifestations, which often appear in infancy. The clinical Available online xxx picture of EDS-HT/JHS is poorly known by the medical community, as is the presence of “ESSENCE” (Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Exami- Keywords: nations) problems in affected children. ESSENCE Aim: The present work reviews the clinical and empirical evidence for ESSENCE difficulties Joint hypermobility syndrome in children with EDS-HT/JHS. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome Method: A narrative review of the literature was undertaken following a comprehensive Neurodevelopmental disorders Attention deficit search of scientific online databases and reference lists.
    [Show full text]