Tobacco products and sensory health: An assessment of taste and smell disorders using 2021 NHIS data

INTRODUCTION

This study aims to assess the relationship between use of tobacco products and taste and smell disorders.

METHODS

A secondary dataset analysis of cross-sectional data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2021 survey cycle, a nationally representative annual cross-sectional interview of non-institutionalized US civilians, was used. Participants' senses of smell and taste are assessed using self-reported questions. Participants were categorized into five groups based on their tobacco use: non-tobacco users; cigarettes only; e-cigarettes only; cigar, pipe, or smokeless tobacco; and poly-tobacco product users. Disorders were defined as any self-reported difficulty in smelling, tasting, or reporting unpleasant odors or persistent tastes. Weighting procedures were used to estimate the national prevalence of taste, smell, and other disorders, stratified by tobacco products used. Adjusted logistic regression models were used to determine the association between tobacco products used and taste or smell compared to non-tobacco users.

RESULTS

A total of 40.2 million US adults reported experiencing smell or taste disorders. Nearly one in 10 adults reported a taste disorder (9.8%), and 13.4% indicated a smell disorder. The prevalence of taste or smell disorder was higher among females (17.5%), Hispanics (19.5%), individuals identified as 'other' racial minorities (21.1%), and lower income groups (21%). Compared to non-tobacco users, the highest odds of experiencing smell or taste disorders were among poly-tobacco product users (adjusted odds ratio, AOR=1.44; 95% CI: 1.31-1.58), followed by e-cigarette-only users (AOR=1.38; 95% CI: 1.02-1.87), cigarette-only smokers (AOR=1.17; 95% CI: 1.04-1.32), and users of cigars, pipes, or smokeless tobacco (AOR=1.15; 1.00; and 1.33; respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Tobacco product use was associated with an increased risk of smell and taste disorders. The rising use of e-cigarettes among adolescents and young adults is particularly concerning given the limited understanding of the sensory effects of e-cigarettes and their growing popularity among younger populations. The study findings highlight the need for interventions aimed at reducing tobacco use of all kinds.

Chemosensory Functions in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Their Association with Clinical Disease Activity

Purpose: Decreased olfactory and gustatory functions are present in various systemic autoimmune diseases. However, little is known about the chemosensory functions of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The present study aimed to investigate olfactory and gustatory functions in patients with IBD and their correlation with clinical disease activity. Methods: A total of 103 patients with IBD were included (52 men, 51 women, mean age 40.3 ± 1.2 years) in the present study. Chemosensory functions were assessed utilizing the “Sniffin’ Sticks” olfactory function test and “taste sprays” gustatory function test. The clinical disease activity of patients was graded as remission, mild, and moderate−severe. In addition, inflammatory markers (fecal calprotectin, C-reactive protein and blood leucocyte count) were recorded. Results: In total, 70% of IBD patients were normosmic, 30% were hyposmic, and none of them was functionally anosmic; 6% of the patients showed signs of hypogeusia. Patients with moderate−severe IBD reached a higher olfactory threshold score compared with patients with remission (p = 0.011) and mild IBD (p < 0.001). The BMI of IBD patients was inversely correlated with their olfactory threshold (r = −0.25, p = 0.010). Olfactory and gustatory function in IBD patients did not correlate with duration of disease, blood leucocyte count, CRP level, or fecal calprotectin level. However, patients’ olfactory function significantly increased after 4 months of TNF-α inhibitor treatment (p = 0.038). Conclusions: IBD patients are more likely to present with hyposmia. Olfactory thresholds were mainly affected. They were significantly associated with clinical disease activity and BMI. As shown in a subgroup, treatment with TNF-α inhibitors appeared to improve olfactory function.

Main symptoms in patients presenting in the COVID-19 period

Background

The first case of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection was detected in Wuhan, fever and respiratory symptoms have been frequently reported in patients infected with this virus.

Aim

It was aimed to compare the symptoms of patients with COVID-19 positivity and patients without COVID-19 positivity hospitalized with suspicion of COVID-19.

Methods

Patients presenting to the Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital with suspicion of COVID-19 were included in the study. Samples were obtained from the patients and PCR tests were performed; the patients were grouped as COVID-19 positive and COVID-19 negative; these two groups were questioned for 15 symptoms and the results were compared.

Results

A total of 297 patients with suspicion of COVID-19 were included in the study. COVID-19 was positive in 143 patients and negative in 154 patients. The most common symptoms in the COVID-19 positive group were: cough (56.6%), weakness (56.6%), taste disorder (35.7%), myalgia (34.3%), and fever (33.6%); and in the COVID-19 negative group: cough (63%), weakness (45.5%), dyspnea (29.9%), headache (27.3%) and fever (24.7%). When these two groups were compared, taste disorder, smell disorder and diarrhea were significantly higher in the COVID-19 positive group (p = <0,00001, p = 0,00001 and p = 0,02).

Conclusion

Our study showed that taste and smell disorders and diarrhea were important markers in COVID-19 infection.

The association between diabetes and olfactory impairment in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Evidence suggests that olfactory impairment (OI) may be a degenerative neurologic complication of diabetes; however, the association is not yet well established. The objective of this work was to systematically review existing literature on the association between diabetes and OI in adults, with meta‐analysis of evaluable studies.

Methods

A literature search encompassing 358 abstracts from the last 75 years in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane was performed. English‐language articles investigating adults with diabetes and OI in comparison to control groups with original data and ≥7 subjects were included. The Newcastle‐Ottawa scale was applied for quality assessment. Two investigators independently reviewed all articles. For meta‐analysis, the odds ratio of OI in diabetes compared with control groups was calculated using the fixed effects model.

Results

The initial search yielded 358 abstracts, from which 21 articles were reviewed and 11 articles (n = 6,747) were included. Studies included were case‐control (64%) or cross‐sectional (36%) with evidence level 3b. On the Newcastle‐Ottawa scale, the mean quality assessment score for case‐control and cross‐sectional studies was 7.4 (maximum of 9) and 7.0 (maximum of 10), respectively. A statistically significant association between diabetes and olfaction compared with controls was found in 6 (55%) of the 11 articles. Four studies were eligible for meta‐analysis, which yielded an overall odds of having OI with diabetes as 1.58 times more likely than in control groups (95% CI [1.16, 2.16]; I² = 10.3%).

Conclusions

The reviewed studies support a significant association between diabetes and OI. Further studies are warranted to characterize this association.

Level of Evidence

3a

Effects of corticosteroids on hyposmia in persistent allergic rhinitis

OBJECTIVE

To asses the effects of two topical nasal corticosteroids sprays on hyposmia in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study was a prospective clinical trial and it included twenty four patients with persistent allergic rhinitis (PER) and hyposmia (H). The patients were divided into two groups depending on the type of corticosteroid topical nasal spray treatment: group A, 200 micrograms dose of mometasone furoate (MF) and group B, 110 micrograms dose of fluticasone furoate (FF) both administered in the morning for 4 weeks. The olfactory function of the patients was evaluated with the extended Test battery "Sniffin' Sticks". The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used for the assessment of hyposmia, nasal discharge. The level of the nasal obstruction, before and after the treatment, was evaluated through the anterior rhinomanometry.

RESULTS

The comparisons between the two types of topical corticosteroids showed a significant improvement separately between scores of the odor threshold (OT), odor discrimination (OD) and odor identification (OI) and also on the final olfactory score (SDI) before and after 4 weeks of the treatment. The comparisons of the VAS scores pre and post treatment showed a significant improvement in hyposmia and nasal obstruction. The nasal airflow and the nasal discharge scores were improved, but the differences were not statistically significant between the groups. The final statistical analysis found no significant differences between the two patients groups.

CONCLUSION

The study concludes that fluticasone furoate and mometasone furoate have quite the same effects on hyposmia and on the classical symptoms from PER.