The Association of Smell and Taste Dysfunction with COVID19, And Their Functional Impacts.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which caused Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was appeared at the end of 2019 in wuhan city in china. Covid-19 has high ability of transmission from human to another human, and due to its fast spread globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Covid-19 is pandemic disease on March 11, 2020. Several articles have reported many common ENT-related symptoms as an early sign of COVID19. To measure the prevalence of insomnia and dysgeusia in COVID19 patients in Saudi Arabia and investigate their functional and psychological effects on patients. This study evaluated the impact of insomnia and dysgeusia on COVID-19 patients' quality of life using the short version of the Olfactory Disorders-Negative Statements (sQODNS) Questionnaire. It was done from 5 June to 30 July 2020, in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. A total of 274 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients were participated. The most common ENT-related symptoms were headache 69%, insomnia 65.3%, and dysgeusia 64.6%. Interestingly, insomnia can greatly affect patients' daily life, as around 37.6% of our patients had problems with taking part in daily activities, 42% felt isolated, 68.1% had changes in appetite, 51.4% had more stress, and 28.2% had increased anger secondary to loss of smell. In Addition, 62% (110) of patients who lost their taste declared that their daily activities were affected. ENT-related symptoms are one of the most COVID19 manifestations. The duration of both insomnia and dysgeusia is an important contributing factor on the patients' functional & psychological state as it may prolong their isolation period. Therefore, Otolaryngologists considered the first-line physicians for many of Covid-19 patients, which makes us at higher risk to be infected with Covid-19 too. It is also particularly important for Otolaryngologists to develop a management guideline to reduce the duration and severity of all ENT-related features.

Kinesiophobia Post Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Study.

Introduction One of the major psychological factors that can affect the outcome of hip arthroplasty is postoperative kinesiophobia, which is defined as a fear of movement. The effect of kinesiophobia and excruciating pain has not been widely explored in hip arthroplasty literature especially in Saudi Arabia. Aim This study aimed to investigate kinesiophobia and pain catastrophizing after total hip arthroplasty (THA) in King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods This is a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. Using a validated self-administered questionnaire, participants were questioned telephonically. Questionnaires included basic demographic characteristics, Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), and Numerical Analogue Scale (NAS). Data were tabulated in MS Excel and all statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results Seventy-four patients were recruited (60.8% females vs 39.2% males). The TSK mean score was 40.7 (SD 8.88) while the mean NAS score was 5.45 (SD 2.79). The prevalence of kinesiophobia was 62.2%. The statistical test revealed that there was a statistically significant positive correlation between TSK score and NAS score (r=460; p<0.001). Furthermore, kinesiophobia was widely prevalent among patients who had avascular necrosis (p<0.001) and among those who underwent physiotherapy (p=0.044). Conclusion There was a high prevalence of kinesiophobia among patients who underwent THA. Pain intensity directly correlated with the presence of kinesophobia.

Telemedicine for Musculoskeletal Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evaluating Readiness of Saudi Citizens.

INTRODUCTION: Since coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was announced as a global pandemic, it has become important to control the pandemic with several approaches, including limiting hospital visits. Telemedicine is a good option to help reduce in-person visits during the pandemic. Saudi Arabia has prepared for this pandemic by implementing applications, such as Tetamman and Seha. In this study, we aimed to determine the readiness of the Saudi population to use telemedicine for musculoskeletal care during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2020 to October 2020. The study used a predesigned, self-administered questionnaire with acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.79). A questionnaire with 30 questions was distributed electronically and randomly to the Saudi population. The included participants were Arabic speakers, Saudis, and men or women age 18 years or older. RESULTS: A total of 635 respondents, of which 250 were men (39.4%) and 385 were women (60.6%), completed the questionnaire. The most common region of residence was the Central region (41.6%), followed by the Eastern region (28%). The proportions of patients who had knowledge about virtual clinics and who used a virtual clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic were 47.6% and 30.4%, respectively. The mean overall attitude score was 24.4 (standard deviation, 9.9) of 35 points; negative, neutral, and positive attitudes were reported among 9.9%, 54.3%, and 35.7% of respondents, respectively. Compared with the older population, younger-aged participants (≤25 years) had significantly more positive attitudes about virtual clinics (χ2=6.068; p=0.048). Those respondents who had never been married showed significantly more positive attitudes about virtual clinics compared with those who had been married (χ2=6.695; p=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: The studied Saudi population shows a moderate level of acceptance of the concept of using telemedicine in musculoskeletal conditions, but some issues about patient access and understanding of the technology remain unaddressed.

Coexisting Thyroglossal Duct Cyst with Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Thyroglossal duct cysts (TGDCs) are common developmental anomalies in which the thyroglossal duct is not obliterated. Coexisting papillary thyroid cancer and TGDC are uncommon and should be investigated thoroughly to rule out TGDC carcinoma. We report a rare case of coexisting papillary thyroid cancer and TGDC in a 48-year-old man, who presented with a history of recurrent mild painful midline neck swelling, and ultrasound (US) revealed a TGDC that was subsequently managed conservatively. On follow-up after 1.6 years, a thyroid US and a fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy were performed, which showed malignant papillary thyroid carcinoma. Total thyroidectomy, the Sistrunk procedure, and central neck dissection were implemented. After three days, the patient was discharged on 150 mg of levothyroxine. Follow-up was unremarkable with no complications. The authors would like to stress the importance of regular TGDC and thyroid gland follow-ups for early detection and diagnosis of thyroid malignancy via clinical examination and US.