Background: Objective data on chemosensitive disorders during COVID-19 are lacking in the Literature.Methods: Multicenter cohort study that involved four Italian hospitals. Three hundred and forty-five COVID-19 patients underwent objective chemosensitive evaluation.Results: Chemosensitive disorders self-reported by 256 patients (74.2%) but the 30.1% of the 89 patients who did not report dysfunctions proved objectively

Background The long-term recovery rate of chemosensitive functions in coronavirus disease 2019 patients has not yet been determined. Method A multicentre prospective study on 138 coronavirus disease 2019 patients was conducted. Olfactory and gustatory functions were prospectively evaluated for 60 days. Results Within the first 4 days of coronavirus disease 2019, 84.8 per cent of patients had chemosensitive dysfunction that gradually improved over the observation period. The most significant increase in chemosensitive scores occurred in the first 10 days for taste and between 10 and 20 days for smell. At the end of the observation period (60 days after symptom onset), 7.2 per cent of the patients still had severe dysfunctions. The risk of developing a long-lasting disorder becomes significant at 10 days for taste (odds ratio = 40.2, 95 per cent confidence interval = 2.204–733.2, p = 0.013) and 20 days for smell (odds ratio = 58.5, 95 per cent confidence interval = 3.278–1043.5, p = 0.005). Conclusion Chemosensitive disturbances persisted in 7.2 per cent of patients 60 days after clinical onset. Specific therapies should be initiated in patients with severe olfactory and gustatory disturbances 20 days after disease onset.

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Background: The objective evaluation of the olfactory function of coronavirus disease 2019 patients is difficult because of logistical and operator-safety problems. For this reason, in the literature, the data obtained from psychophysical tests are few and based on small case series. Methods: A multicenter, cohort study conducted in seven European hospitals between March 22 and August 20, 2020. The Sniffin-Sticks test and the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center orthonasal olfaction test were used to objectively evaluate the olfactory function. Results: This study included 774 patients, of these 481 (62.1%) presented olfactory dysfunction (OD): 280 were hyposmic and 201 were anosmic. There was a significant difference between self-reported anosmia/hyposmia and psychophysical test results (p = 0.006). Patients with gastroesophageal disorders reported a significantly higher probability of presenting hyposmia (OR 1.86; p = 0.015) and anosmia (OR 2.425; p < 0.001). Fever, chest pain, and phlegm significantly increased the likelihood of having hyposmia but not anosmia or an olfactory disturbance. In contrast, patients with dyspnea, dysphonia, and severe-to-critical COVID-19 were significantly more likely to have no anosmia, while these symptoms had no effect on the risk of developing hyposmia or an OD. Conclusions: Psychophysical assessment represents a significantly more accurate assessment tool for olfactory function than patient self-reported clinical outcomes. Olfactory disturbances appear to be largely independent from the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the patients. The non-association with rhinitis symptoms and the high prevalence as a presenting symptom make olfactory disturbances an important symptom in the differential diagnosis between COVID-19 and common flu.

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Introduction: An increasing number of skin cancer arising over vascular anomaly has been reported in literature. In such cases, the oncologic radicality required to threat skin malignancies may be in contrast with the safety needed when dealing with vascular malformation. As a result, treatment of this association may be insidious and treacherous and imposes a sound knowledge and carefulness. Materials and Methods: The authors report on a case of a 77-years-old woman affected by a basal cell carcinoma (BCC) arising over a vascular malformation of forehead. Preoperative radiological imaging revealed an underlying venous malformation (VM) communicating with intracranial district. Patient underwent sclerotherapy of the VM with gelified ethanol in order to reduce potentially fatal bleeding during surgery and, on the other hand, any leakage of the sclerosant in the intracranial veins. Excision of the BCC was then performed without complications. Results: Neither intra-operative nor post-operative complications were observed. Current 3-years follow-up shows no recurrence of BCC whilst the residual VM is stable and clinically silent. Conclusions: Mechanisms leading to the onset of skin cancers over venous malformations are still unclear. However, association between these 2 conditions may be underestimated with possible catastrophic consequences. Thorough knowledge of vascular malformations and a multidisciplinary approach is of the uttermost importance when dealing with such clinical challenges.

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