Prevalence and Factors Associated with Olfactory Dysfunction in Individuals with COVID-19 in Brazil: A Study of 20,669 Cases from 2020 to 2021.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence and factors associated with olfactory dysfunction in individuals with COVID-19 in the first 2 years of the pandemic in Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prevalent study involving the confirmed cases of COVID-19 recorded in the municipality between the years 2020 and 2021. Individuals symptomatic for COVID-19, with a positive laboratory result and aged 12 or older were included in this study. Measures of central tendency and dispersion were used in the description of continuous variables and frequency was used for categorical variables. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to evaluate data distribution. RESULTS: Data from 20,669 individuals were analyzed. The prevalence of olfactory disorders was 17.9% and increased from 11.5% to 21.9% between 2020 and 2021. A female gender predominance was observed among individuals who reported anosmia, with 61.1% (n = 564) in 2020 and 61.7% (n = 1,713) in 2021. On the other hand, the median age of individuals with olfactory disorders was lower than that of the group without disorders (35 [IQR 27-46] vs. 39 [IQR 29-50]; p < 0.001). Smell disturbances were present in 18.2% (n = 3,634) of patients who recovered and in 7.1% (n = 38) of those who died. Furthermore, in 2021, a prevalence rate of 30.6% for olfactory disorders was linked to obesity as a comorbidity. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of olfactory disorders was lower compared to other studies, with cough and fever being negatively related to olfactory dysfunction and headache, coryza, and taste disorders being positively related. Obesity was the only associated comorbidity.

Clinical and epidemiological profile of COVID-19 in health professionals: a review of the literature.

Occupational exposure is an important source of coronavirus transmission among health professionals. The objective of this study is to review the literature on the clinical and epidemiological profile of health professionals infected by COVID-19. An integrative review was conducted based on searches of the LILACS, Medline, and PubMed databases using the following terms: medical workers, healthcare workers, healthcare personnel, and healthcare professionals combined with COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, 2019-nCoV, n-CoV, and coronavirus, with the Boolean operators "AND" and "OR". A total of 710 publications were identified, 18 of which were selected for the review, totaling 2,208 infected health professionals in eight countries. It was observed that 67.4% (n = 1,489) of these professionals were women, and 39.4% of the population described in the 15 studies that provided information on occupation (n = 811) were nurses. Seven publications (n = 553) reported severity, among which the most prevalent category was mild/common (47.3% of cases; n = 213). The most common comorbidities were migraine (9.6%, n = 87 of 906), systemic arterial hypertension (5.5%, n = 78 of 1,427), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (3.7%, n = 52 of 1,399). The most common symptoms were coughing (34.3%, n = 597 of 1,740), headache (36.8%, n = 582 of 1,583), and myalgia (31.6%, n = 544 of 1,720). The most frequent radiological findings were bilateral involvement (34.5%, n = 139 of 403), ground glass (49%, n = 101 of 206), and bilateral pneumonia (77.4%, n = 65 of 84). The study found that the most often affected health professionals were female nursing professionals, the main symptom was coughing, and the most frequent comorbidity was migraine. The study's limitation is the small sample. There is a need for more studies with these professionals.

O Ensino da Anamnese Assistido por Tecnologias Digitais durante a Pandemia da Covid-19 no Brasil / Digital Technology-Assisted Teaching of Anamnesis during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Brazil

Resumo: Introdução: Em dezembro de 2019, na China, surgiu o primeiro caso de infecção da Sars-CoV-2, causadora da Covid-19. Em março de 2020, após se alastrar pelos continentes, a Organização Mundial da Saúde conferiu característica de pandemia. Para tentar conter o avanço, foi criada a política de distanciamento social, responsável pela interrupção de inúmeras atividades, incluindo aulas presenciais. Assim, ampliou-se a busca por meios de ensino remoto, a fim de amenizar os prejuízos causados na educação. Nesse ínterim, a Universidade Federal de Alagoas propôs realizar a monitoria on-line como forma de promover interação entre estudantes e docentes na pandemia. Relato de Experiência: A construção do curso ocorreu de forma remota por meio de plataformas digitais, como Google Meets® e portal do serviço de conferência web da Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa (RNP). Foram 54 inscrições de alunos de Medicina, e 38 (70,3%) cumpriram os requisitos para certificação e finalizaram. Produziram-se 22 podcasts, hospedados nas plataformas Anchor® e Spotify®, além de seis formulários do Google® com questões acerca dos conteúdos dos podcasts. Utilizaram-se as plataformas Kahoot®, um jogo com questões para aumentar a interação e o Padlet®, um "mural virtual" no qual eram postados conteúdos do curso. Discussão: A implantação das novas Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais dos Cursos de Graduação Medicina (DCN) instigou nos estudantes autonomia no aprendizado, conferindo espaço para a inserção de tecnologias na educação. Apesar da insuficiência para sanar os prejuízos causados na educação pela pandemia, essas tecnologias conferem aos professores, aos alunos e às instituições de ensino a capacidade de adequação aos meios disponíveis para minimizar prejuízos. Conclusão: A monitoria on-line permitiu que, mesmo um assunto predominantemente prático como a anamnese, fosse discutido e praticado graças ao suporte tecnológico. Percebe-se, portanto, efetividade na utilização de tecnologias no processo de ensino-aprendizagem quando se utilizam plataformas interativas.

Abstract: Introduction: The first case of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, which caused COVID-19, occurred in China in December 2019. By March 2020, having spread across continents, the disease was officially declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. In an attempt to contain the advance of infection, a policy of social distancing was introduced, which implied in the interruption of numerous activities, including face-to-face classes. Hence the demand for means of distance learning expanded in order to mitigate the harm caused in education. In the meantime, the Federal University of Alagoas proposed to carry out online monitoring as a way to promote student-teacher interaction during the pandemic. Experience Report: The course was constructed remotely on digital platforms, such as Google Meets® and National Teaching and Research Network (RNP) online video conference portal. Fifty-four medical students enrolled, of whom 38 (70.3%) met the certification requirements for certification and completed the course. Twenty-two podcasts were produced, hosted on the Anchor® and Spotify® platforms, in addition to six Google® forms with questions about the contents of the podcasts. Other resources used included Kahoot® platforms, a quiz to increase interaction, and Padlet®, a "virtual wall" for posting course content. Discussion: The implementation of the new National Curricular Guidelines for Undergraduate Medicine Courses (DCN) triggered greater student autonomy in learning, opening the way for the use of technologies in education. Although insufficient to remedy the damage caused in education by the pandemic, these technologies offer teachers, students and educational institutions the ability to adapt to available methods and minimize the harm. Conclusion: Online monitoring represents technological support that has allowed for even a predominantly practical subject, such as anamnesis, to be discussed and practiced. There is, therefore, demonstrable effectiveness in the use of technologies applied to the teaching-learning process, when using interactive platforms.