Comparison of the incidence of smell and taste disorders between influenza and COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: Smell and taste disorders among patients with COVID-19 has become increasingly reported in the literature, however the prevalence varies. Post-infectious respiratory dysfunction has also been linked to influenza. In this study, we aimed to compare the rates of smell and taste disorders between COVID-19 and Influenza in unvaccinated patients. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: TriNetX research network. METHODS: Two queries were made on 7/1/2023 to include Influenza without a diagnosis of COVID-19 and a COVID-19 without a diagnosis of Influenza. The queries included patients from January 1 to December 31, 2022 from 102 Healthcare Organizations. The resultant population of patients with ICD-10 codes for COVID-19 and Influenza were matched using demographic characteristics to evaluate the risk of smell disorders. RESULTS: The overall 3-month incidence of smell and taste disorders was 0.73 % in the COVID-19 population and 0.1 % in the influenza population. The 3-month matched risk ratios were 11.1 [95 % CI (8.8,13.8)]; p < 0.001) times higher for disorders of the smell and taste secondary to COVID-19 compared to influenza. CONCLUSIONS: Disorders of the smell and taste are more common among patients with COVID-19 compared to patients with Influenza. Beyond smell loss, patients experience additional nasal and sinus-related rhinological symptoms, pointing to COVID-19's and influenza's wider impact on overall rhinological health. We believe that due to the transient nature of these disorders, they might go underreported.

Evaluation of In-Office Cryoablation of Posterior Nasal Nerves for the Treatment of Rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinitis is a common condition generally treated with medical therapies. However, 10-22% of patients are refractory to medical therapies. A cryotherapy handheld device targeting the postganglionic nerve fibers of the posterior nasal nerve (PNN) now serves as an additional option for therapy. This study evaluates the efficacy of the cryosurgical ablation device of the PNN in the clinic setting. METHODS: This was a prospective single-arm trial of 24 adult patients at seven locations within a large health maintenance organization. Patients with chronic rhinitis that failed medical therapy were offered an in-office cryoablation of PNN. Patients completed the Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS) questionnaire consisting of 5 items reported based on the previous 12 hours and 2 weeks at the following time points: pre-treatment, 30 days, 90 days and 1 year post-treatment. RESULTS: Following cryoablation of the PNN, the TNSS 12-hour symptom score improved from 6.92 (±2.9) to 3.17 (±2.4, P < 0.001) at 30 days, 2.92 (±1.4, P < 0.001) at 90 days and 3.08 (±2.6, P < 0.001) at 1 year post treatment. Similar results were noted for the 2 weeks scores improving from 7.75 (±3.1) to 3.79 (±2.1, P < 0.001) at 30 days, 3.88 (±1.9, P < 0.001) at 90 days and 3.76 (±2.1, P < 0.001) at 1 year post-treatment. 64.7% of respondents stated the procedure decreased or eliminated nasal sprays. CONCLUSIONS: Our independent evaluation of cryoablation of the PNN shows improvement in nasal symptoms over a 1 year period and is consistent with other published data.