Hearing loss and stigma

Amaç: Bu çalışmada işitme kaybı ve işitme cihazı ile ilişkili stigma değerlendirildi. Hastalar ve Yöntemler: Bu çalışmada Eylül 2015 - Mart 2016 tarihleri arasında işitme kaybı ile Kulak Burun Boğaz polikliniğine başvuran ve muayene sonucunda işitme cihazı önerilen ancak cihazı kullanmayı reddeden 35 hasta yapılandırılmış formlarla değerlendirildi. Bulgular: İşitme kaybı olan hastaların %57.1’i işitme kaybından daha ciddi öncelikleri olduğunu düşünmekteydi. Hastaların cihaz edinmesinde stigma ile ilişkili en önemli engeller “işitme cihazının dışarıdan fark edilmesi” (%45.7) ve işitme cihazının kullanıcıyı “yaşlı” (%37.1) ve “engelli” (%45.7) gösterdiği düşüncesi idi. Sonuç: Stigma işitme cihazı edinimindeki önemli engellerden biridir. İşitme kaybı için yardım isteyen hastalara psikososyal destek gereklidir. İşitme kaybı ile ilgili stigma hakkında toplumsal farkındalık artırılmalı ve medya stigma engelinin kırılması için yardım etmelidir.Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the stigma associated with hearing loss and hearing aid. Patients and Methods: A total of 35 patients were examined with structured forms, who were admitted to the Ear Nose and Throat outpatient clinic between September 2015 and March 2016 with hearing loss and were recommended to use hearing aid but refused to do so. Results: Patients with hearing loss believed that they had more serious priorities than their hearing impairment (57.1%). The most important barriers associated to stigma in the adoption of hearing aid were the thoughts of “hearing aid is noticeable from outside” (45.7%) and the hearing aid makes the user look “old” (37.1%) and “disabled” (45.7%). Conclusion: Stigma is one of the important barriers of hearing aid adoption. Psychosocial support is necessary for the patients who seek help for their hearing loss. Social awareness should be increased about stigma associated to hearing loss and the media should help to disrupt the stigma barrier

Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the questionnaire for the assessment of self-reported olfactory functioning and olfaction-related quality of life

Objective: To examine the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the questionnaire for the assessment of self-reported olfactory functioning and olfaction-related quality of life (ASOF).Methods: Three different surveys [ASOF, beck depression inventory (BDI), and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire] were completed by 112 subjects with subjective olfactory dysfunction (OD) and 21 healthy controls. Sniffin' Sticks tests were performed. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity were analyzed.Results: The Cronbach a coefficients for the ASOF self-reported capability of perceiving (ASOF-SRP) specific odors scale (SOC) and ASOF self-reported olfaction-related quality of life (ASOF-ORQ) were 0.98 and 0.97, with relatively high internal consistency, respectively. The test-retest reliability for the ASOF was high for all subscales. ASOF-SRP-SOC, ASOF-SRP, and ASOF-ORQ showed significant positive correlations with the overall SF-36 score and negative correlations with BDI. The ASOF scale scores in healthy controls were significantly higher than those in patients with hyposmia and anosmia (p=0.001). TDI composite score and its subscales (threshold, discrimination, and identification) showed significant negative correlations with the BDI score and significant positive correlations with each of the SF-36 domains and overall SF-36 scores and ASOF subtests.Conclusion: This study showed that the Turkish version of the ASOF is a reliable and valid measure to determine the olfactory function and impairment in daily life associated with OD. Because of the easy-to-use features of the ASOF, it is a useful tool for initial assessment and follow-up of the subjects with OD

Evaluation of pai-1 polymorphisms in central and peripheral thromboembolies

Thromboembolism is a clinical finding that occurs due to thrombus; formed in the vascular system and has various etiological factors. It can be classified as central and peripheral thromboembolism. Our objective in this study is to explore genetic risk factors in central and peripheral thromboembolism and reveal the differences. 342 thromboembolism patients were retrospectively included to the study between January 2016 and December 2019. Demographic characteristics, risk factors for thromboembolism and genetic mutations in central and peripheral thromboembolism groups were overviewed. The genetic mutations evaluated in patients were Factor V Leiden G1691A, Factor V HR1299R, Factor II (Prothrombin) G20210A, MTHFR (Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) C677T, MTHFR A1298C, PAI 4G/5G. Within the scope of the study, genetic analyzes of 106 patients were reached and included in the study. Seventy-two central thromboembolism (69.8%), 34 (31.2%) peripheral thromboembolisms were detected. Sixty-three of the central thromboembolisms were from arterial and nine were from venous origin. There was no significant difference between age, gender and risk factors of central thromboembolism and peripheral thromboembolism patients (p0.05), but smoking was more common in central thromboembolism patients (p: 0.041). 4G/5G polymorphism was observed more frequently in patients with central thromboembolism (p: 0.039). Thromboembolism is a multifactorial disease, PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism is a medium risk factor for thromboembolism. We conclude that PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism is more frequent in central thromboembolism than peripheral thromboembolism and its evaluation can give more information about the thromboembolic risk analyze

Pediatric Aural Myiasis

Aural miyazis, sinek larvalarının kulakta yerleşimi ve buna bağlı ortaya çıkan semptomlar ile karakterize olan bir hastalıktır. Oldukça nadir görülen bu durum özellikle düşük sosyo-ekonomik seviyeye sahip çocukları ve mental retardasyonu olan kişileri etkiler. Bu makalede fakir bir aileden gelen, 4 yaşında bir kız çocuğunun sol kulağına yerleşmiş 10 adet Wohlfahrtia magnifica larvasının neden olduğu klinik tablo sunulmaktadır. Sol kulakta akıntı, ağ- lama ve huzursuzluğu olan, bu nedenle annesi tarafından kulağına süt damlatılmış olan hastanın yapılan muayenesinde dış kulak yolunu dolduran larvalar otomikroskopi eşliğinde temizlenmiş ve timpanik membranın perfore olduğu izlenmiştir. Salin irigasyonu yapılan ve topikal antibiyoterapi verilen hastanın kontrollerinde herhangi bir sorun izlenmemiştir.Aural myiasis is a disease characterized by infestation of fly larvae in the ear and symptoms associated with this infestation. It is a rarely encountered situation and usually affects pateints having mental retardation and children living with families with a low socio-economical status. In this article we present a case report regarding a clinical condition caused by infestation of 10 Wohlfahrtia magnifica larvae in the ear of a 4 year-old girl. Following a history of crying, irritability and left sided otorrhea, the mother of the patient had filled the ear canal with a few drops of milks. Phyisical examination of the patient revealed multiple larvae in the external ear canal. The larvae were aspirated under otomicroscopic vision and tympanic membrane was found to be perforated. The field was irrigated with saline and the patient was prescribed topical antibiotic drops. No complications were observed during the folow up period of the patient

The therapeutic effect of deep brain stimulation on olfactory functions and clinical scores in Parkinson's disease

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is still a highly effective treatment option that significantly improves motor function in advanced PD. Moreover, previous findings have shown that Olfactory dysfunction (OD) has been found in a majority of patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD). Despite this, the effect of DBS on the olfactory function is not fully understood. Here we aimed to determine the effect of STN DBS on OD by evaluating the olfactory functions in the preoperative and postoperative early stages (1st and 3rd months) in forty-five PD patients and 40 healthy controls. The therapeutic effect of DBS on the improvement of motor functions was parallelly investigated. We have observed that there was a significant improvement in OI in the 1st month and in all olfactory parameters (OT, ODI, OI, and TDI) in the 3rd month. In evaluating the motor functional scores, we have revealed a statistically significant (p 0.05). As a conclusion, we have shown that STN-DBS improves the smell functions in PD within three months suggesting that the therapeutic effects of DBS might have a wide range of therapeutic spectrum. Despite some limitations (i.e., short follow-up period) our study gives a critical message that future studies are needed to evaluate the functional correlates of STN-DBS treatment in PD patients

Olfactory training ball improves adherence and olfactory outcomes in post-infectious olfactory dysfunction

Purpose In an effort to make olfactory training (OT) simpler, we designed an 'olfactory training ball' (OTB)-a baseball-size ball with four odor-containing tubes to use in OT. The study aimed to investigate the effects of OT with the OTB in comparison to classical OT with special attention to the effects of adherence to OT on olfactory outcome measures. Methods Sixty patients with olfactory dysfunction following infections of the upper respiratory tract received OT either with classical methods-sniffing odors from jars (COT)-or the OTB for 12 weeks. Patients exposed themselves to the odors for 5 min twice daily. Adherence was measured with a modified version of the Morisky scale. Before and after OT, all patients underwent extensive olfactory testing using the Sniffin' Sticks test. Results At the end of the 12 weeks of OT, TDI composite score (22.1 +/- 2.8 vs. 19.9 +/- 4.7, P = 0.044) and odor discrimination subtest scores (9.1 +/- 1.8 vs.7.6 +/- 2.5, P = 0.013) of the OTB group were significantly higher than that of the COT group. Adequate adherence to OT was significantly higher in patients receiving OTB when compared to those receiving COT (63% vs. 30%, P = 0.019). Conclusion The present study shows that a novel OT device, the OTB, provides better adherence to the training process compared to COT. Moreover, findings of the current study show that better adherence to the OT process is associated with better olfactory outcomes

The frequency of complementary and integrative medicine methods in headache patients and their spending habits

WOS: 000446399100006PubMed ID: 29306601Background: It is known that complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) methods are especially used by patients with chronic headaches. The aim of our study is to increase the knowledge on this topic, to provide objective data about use in Turkish headache patients. Methods: This study included 425 patients with headache. The survey form prepared was filled in under the supervision of a health professional. The questionnaire included 2 items, about CIM methods and finance. Results: Among the patients evaluated, 316 were female, and 109 were male. All of 52% answered yes to the question "did you ever use any CIM treatment method for headaches during your life?". The most frequently used methods were combined (herbal + one or more other method) (29.6%), herbal (9.4%) and cupping therapy (4.2%). Among the patients that used combined methods, 26.9% had spent 30-100 TL (5-25 euro), 20.6% had spent 100-300 TL (25-70 euro), 26.9% had spent 300-500 TL (70-120 euro) and the last two groups that formed 12.6% had spent 500-1000 (120-250 euro) and >1000 TL (>250 euro). Conclusion: Half of the patients that applied to outpatient clinic with headaches use one or more of these methods and make budgets in accordance with their income levels. Physicians should have sufficient knowledge and clinical opinions about the CIM methods used by headache patients

Olfactory dysfunction and cognition in radiologically isolated syndrome and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory, neurodegenerative, demyelinating disease that causes cognitive, olfactory, and other neurological dysfunctions. Radiologically Isolated Syndrome (RIS), in which only radiological findings are monitored, is accepted as the preclinical stage of demyelinating disease and is considered an important period for disease pathology. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the olfactory and cognitive functions and their clinical correlation in RIS and Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS) patients and a healthy control group. METHODS: Our study included 10 RRMS patients, 10 RIS patients, and 10 healthy controls. We conducted an olfactor evaluation via the "Sniffin' Sticks" test. The subjects underwent a neuropsychometric test battery to evaluate cognitive functions, including memory, visuospatial, and executive functions. Depression was evaluated using the Beck depression scale. Fatigue and daily life activity were evaluated using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36), respectively. Disability assessment was done with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). RESULTS: RRMS and RIS patients' olfactory test scores were significantly different from those in the control group (p < 0.05). There was a significant difference between the odor threshold scores of patients in the RRMS and RIS groups. There was a significant correlation between memory-oriented cognitive tests and olfactory tests in the RRMS and RIS groups. CONCLUSION: Olfactory dysfunction can be seen in RIS patients, like in RRMS patients. Cognitive and olfactory dysfunction may be together a sign of degeneration in demyelinating diseases

Olfactory cleft measurements and COVID-19-related anosmia

Objective. This study aimed to investigate the differences in olfactory cleft (OC) morphology in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) anosmia compared to control subjects and postviral anosmia related to infection other than severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Study Design. Prospective. Setting. This study comprises 91 cases, including 24 cases with anosmia due to SARS-CoV-2, 38 patients with olfactory dysfunction (OD) due to viral infection other than SARS-CoV-2, and a control group of 29 normosmic cases. Methods. All cases had paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT), and cases with OD had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) dedicated to the olfactory nerve. The OC width and volumes were measured on CT, and T2-weighted signal intensity (SI), olfactory bulb volumes, and olfactory sulcus depths were assessed on MRI. Results. This study showed 3 major findings: the right and left OC widths were significantly wider in anosmic patients due to SARS-CoV-2 (group 1) or OD due to non-SARS-CoV-2 viral infection (group 2) when compared to healthy controls. OC volumes were significantly higher in group 1 or 2 than in healthy controls, and T2 SI of OC area was higher in groups 1 and 2 than in healthy controls. There was no significant difference in olfactory bulb volumes and olfactory sulcus depths on MRI among groups 1 and 2. Conclusion. In this study, patients with COVID-19 anosmia had higher OC widths and volumes compared to control subjects. In addition, there was higher T2 SI of the olfactory bulb in COVID-19 anosmia compared to control subjects, suggesting underlying inflammatory changes. There was a significant negative correlation between these morphological findings and threshold discrimination identification scores