Influenza viral infection is a risk factor for severe illness in COVID-19 patients: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

In order to prepare for the twindemic of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infection, we investigated the association between influenza infection and subsequent severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A population-based nationwide cohort study was performed using data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) in the Republic of Korea. This study included 274,126 individuals who underwent SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing between 20 January 2020 and 1 October 2020. Among these patients, 28,338 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and 4,003 of these individuals had a history of influenza. The control group was selected through 1:1 propensity score matching. In the group of 4,003 COVID-19-positive individuals with no history of influenza, 192 (4.8%) experienced severe illness from COVID-19 infection. In the group of 4,003 COVID-19-positive individuals with a history of influenza, 260 (6.5%) had severe illness from COVID-19, and the overall adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 1.29 (95% confidence interval 1.04-1.59). Among the 4,003 COVID-19-positive individuals with a history of influenza, severe COVID-19 infection was experienced by 143 of 1,760 (8.1%) with an influenza history within 1 year before the onset of COVID-19, 48 of 1,129 (4.3%) between 1 and 2 years, and 69 of 1,114 (6.2%) between 2 and 3 years before COVID-19 onset, and the aORs were 1.54 (1.20-1.98), 1.19 (0.84-1.70), and 1.00 (0.73-1.37), respectively. In conclusion, individuals who had an influenza infection less than 1 year before COVID-19 infection were at an increased risk of experiencing severe illness from the SARS-CoV-2 infection. To control the public health burden, it is essential that effective public health control measures, which include influenza vaccination, hand washing, cough etiquette, and mask use are in place.

Prevalence and comorbidities of bronchiolitis in adults: A population-based study in South Korea.

ABSTRACT: Bronchiolitis generally refers to inflammation and/or fibrosis of the non-cartilaginous small airways located approximately from the 8th airway generation down to the terminal and respiratory bronchioles. In contrast to young children, the frequency of small airway infection in adult bronchiolitis appears less frequent and a number of other pathophysiological conditions have been implicated in adult bronchiolitis. However, little information is available on the exact medical burden of bronchiolitis such as its prevalence and comorbidities in the adult population. The aim of this study is to elucidate the prevalence and comorbidities of bronchiolitis. We used the Korea National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort, which provides data for 1,000,000 individuals out of the entire population by 2% stratified random sampling according to age, sex, residential area, and level of household income. We defined the cause of bronchiolitis other than acute infection as a patient with diagnostic code J448 or J684 and over 20 years of age who visited a clinic or hospital in South Korea. Then, 1:1 propensity score matching was performed to define a non-bronchiolitis (control) group to compare the comorbidities and mortality in the 2 groups. The overall prevalence of bronchiolitis was 688 cases/1,000,000 population during the study period (95% confidence interval, 625-751). The most common comorbid clinical condition in adults with bronchiolitis was rhinitis (52.3%), followed by bronchial asthma (52.23%), hypertension (43.69%), gastroesophageal reflux disease (30.56%), sinusitis (28.72%), diabetes (22.77%), and osteoporosis (17.85%). Other common bronchiolitis-associated comorbidities were cerebrovascular disease (16.86%), angina (14.37%), peripheral vascular disease (13.42%), congestive heart failure (11.9%), and malignancy in any organ (10.6%). Healthcare costs for bronchiolitis increased steeply during the same period. Malignancy in any organ was the leading cause of mortality in the patient group, followed by bronchiolitis itself. Further larger prospective multiethnic cohort studies should be carried out in the near future.

Association of sudden sensorineural hearing loss with increased risk of insomnia: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the risk of insomnia in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). METHODS: A retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study was conducted using a nationwide representative sample from the National Sample Cohort 2002-2013 data from the Korea National Health Insurance Service. The SSNHL group (n = 631) included patients diagnosed with SSNHL between January 2002 and December 2005. The comparison group (4 controls for every patient with SSNHL, n = 2,524) was selected using propensity score matching, according to sociodemographic factors and the year of enrollment. Each patient was monitored until 2013. Survival analysis, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate the incidence, survival rate, and hazard ratio (HR) of insomnia for each group. RESULTS: Among the 3,155 individuals included in the study population (male, 48.6%), the overall incidence of insomnia during the 11-year follow-up was 1.4-fold higher in the SSNHL group than in the non-SSNHL group (106.3 vs 138.3 per 10,000 person-years; adjusted HR, 1.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-1.78). Moreover, the adjusted HRs for developing insomnia (depression, 3.33 [95% CI, 2.22-5.01]; anxiety, 1.78 [95% CI, 1.27-2.53]; tinnitus, 1.56 [95% CI, 1.2-2.03]; dizziness, 1.76 [95% CI, 1.27-2.44]) were higher in patients with comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: This observational study suggests that SSNHL is associated with an increased incidence of insomnia. Specifically, findings from this study show that patients with tinnitus, depression, anxiety, and dizziness had a higher risk of developing insomnia than those without tinnitus, depression, anxiety, and dizziness. CITATION: Yeo CD, Yeom SW, You YS, Kim JS, Lee EJ. Association of sudden sensorineural hearing loss with increased risk of insomnia: a nationwide population-based cohort study. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(5):1335-1342.

COPD is a risk factor for COVID-19, but does not confer increased severity of the disease.

Epidemiologic studies suggest that COPD is associated with an increased risk of poor outcome in patients with COVID-19, although they failed to demonstrate COPD as a risk factor for acquiring COVID-19. However, most data have come from a limited global population. In this nationwide cohort study based on the Korean national health insurance claims-based database, COPD is associated with increased risk for COVID-19 and having COPD does not seem to confer substantial risk for severe COVID-19 and mortality. These findings indicate that heterogeneity in the populations across many countries may complicate the net effects of COPD on the COVID-19-related outcomes.

Bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss with Sweet syndrome: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Sweet syndrome (SS) is an idiopathic autoimmune disease which has been associated with various extracutaneous manifestations. Otologic symptoms secondary to SS are characterized by bilateral, progressive, sensorineural hearing loss, which requires auditory rehabilitation with, for example, cochlear implantation. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 43-year-old woman complaining of bilateral sudden hearing loss visited the Emergency Department of our University. Abrupt onset of fever peaking up to 40°C and vomiting accompanied the hearing loss and other associated symptoms were: tinnitus that sounded like a machine humming, mild dizziness, a painful rash (on the right upper eyelid, chest, back, forearms, and lower extremities), arthralgia in both the hip and knee joints, and vision loss in the right eye. The patient had no history of autoimmune diseases or surgery. DIAGNOSIS: Pure tone audiometry and biopsy on the skin lesion were performed. SS with bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss was confirmed. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was treated with intravenous prednisolone and topical steroids. OUTCOMES: After a week of treatment, skin lesions had improved. And 3 months after treatment, the hearing test showed full recovery. CONCLUSION: This case emphasizes the point that early diagnosis and timely treatment are essential for hearing recovery in patients with SS who have otologic symptoms.

What Affects Postoperative Sinusitis and Implant Failure after Dental Implant: A Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The dental implant is an innovative instrument that enables the edentulous patient to chew. Many factors have a bearing on the success of dental implantation. There are also many complications after dental implantation. In this meta-analysis, we investigated which factors increase the risk of postoperative sinusitis and implant failure after dental implant for the first time. DATA SOURCES: Included data were searched through the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane library databases. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, and 2 authors (J.S.K., S.H.K.) independently extracted data by multiple observers. REVIEW METHODS: We used a random-effects model considering the variation between and within the included studies. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies were included in our final meta-analysis. The proportion of postoperative sinusitis, perforation of the sinus membrane, and implant failure was 0.05 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.04-0.07), 0.17 (95% CI, 0.13-0.22), and 0.05 (95% CI, 0.04-0.07), respectively, using the single proportion test. The only factors that affected postoperative sinusitis were preoperative sinusitis and intraoperative perforation of the Schneiderian membrane ( P < .01 and P < .01, respectively). The only factors that affected dental implant failure were smoking and residual bone height of the maxilla ( P < .05 and P < .01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Two factors affect postoperative sinusitis after implant surgery: preoperative sinusitis and Schneiderian membrane rupture. It should also be noted that the factors affecting implant failure are residual bone height and smoking. These findings will have a significant impact on the counseling and treatment policy of patients who receive dental implants.

Rhinocerebral mucormycosis after functional endoscopic sinus surgery: A case report.

RATIONALE: Mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection which mainly develops in compromised hosts and the associated mortality rate is high. PATIENT CONCERNS: We report a case of mucormycosis in a 59-year-old woman following routine endoscopic sinus surgery. The patient had a history of diabetes mellitus (DM) and bronchial asthma. DIAGNOSES: On follow-up 4 weeks after the first functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), she complained of a severe headache and was readmitted for a second period. Endoscopic examination revealed bony erosion and a whitish discharge on the left middle turbinate, which was confirmed as mucormycosis by endoscopic biopsy. INTERVENTIONS: Endoscopic debridement of the necrotic tissue and middle turbinectomy were performed and the patient was treated with intravenous amphotericin B for 3 months (3.5 mg/kg/day). OUTCOMES: About 1 month into the second period of hospitalization, left Bell's palsy had occurred. The facial palsy improved naturally after 2 months of hospitalization. One year after endoscopic debridement, follow-up endoscopy showed that there was no residual lesion. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of mucormycosis after routine endoscopic sinus surgery. We did not miss headache symptom after FESS surgery, and diagnosed mucormycosis through early endoscopic biopsy, which played an important role in curing the patient. In addition to the importance of medical therapy such as DM control for patients, emotional support and psychiatric treatment are also important factors as these patients require hospitalization for a long period, 3 months in the case of this patient.