Relationship Between Plasma Acid Sphingomyelinase and Alteration in Taste and Smell as Indicator of Long COVID in Pregnant Women
<b>Background:</b> Persistent alterations in taste and smell affect a significant proportion of individuals following COVID-19, representing a component of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, commonly referred to as long COVID. The degradation of sphingomyelin by acid sphingomyelinase is regar...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-11-01
|
| Series: | Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-841X/7/4/104 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850238931043352576 |
|---|---|
| author | Federico Fiorani Giulia Moretti Laura Cerquiglini Chiara Gizzi Giulia Gizzi Paola Signorelli Samuela Cataldi Tommaso Beccari Elisa Delvecchio Claudia Mazzeschi Stefania Troiani Elisabetta Albi |
| author_facet | Federico Fiorani Giulia Moretti Laura Cerquiglini Chiara Gizzi Giulia Gizzi Paola Signorelli Samuela Cataldi Tommaso Beccari Elisa Delvecchio Claudia Mazzeschi Stefania Troiani Elisabetta Albi |
| author_sort | Federico Fiorani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background:</b> Persistent alterations in taste and smell affect a significant proportion of individuals following COVID-19, representing a component of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, commonly referred to as long COVID. The degradation of sphingomyelin by acid sphingomyelinase is regarded as a biomarker for acquired demyelinating neuropathies. <b>Objectives:</b> This study was aimed to enroll women who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy and experienced persistent alterations in taste and/or smell for more than 1 year post-infection, in comparison to pregnant women without any disturbances in these senses. <b>Methods:</b> The patients were subjected to a questionnaire investigating smell and taste disorders more than 1 year after the infection. Then, the levels of acid sphingomyelinase in the plasma of the participants were assessed. <b>Results:</b> The results showed that in women who had been pregnant and who had been infected with SARS Cov-2 during the COVID period and who still had taste and smell disorders 1 year later, plasma acid sphingomyelinase levels were double that of pregnant women who had contracted the infection during the COVID period but had not reported taste and smell disorders and that of pregnant women analyzed after the COVID period. <b>Conclusions:</b> The results suggest a hypothesis that the persistence of sensory disturbances in long COVID was probably due to a failure to utilize brain circuitry with demyelination resulting from chemosensory dysfunction of the olfactory epithelium. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-859a1caad47d4e54ba0a6be9591f023d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2571-841X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-859a1caad47d4e54ba0a6be9591f023d2025-08-20T02:01:19ZengMDPI AGReports2571-841X2024-11-017410410.3390/reports7040104Relationship Between Plasma Acid Sphingomyelinase and Alteration in Taste and Smell as Indicator of Long COVID in Pregnant WomenFederico Fiorani0Giulia Moretti1Laura Cerquiglini2Chiara Gizzi3Giulia Gizzi4Paola Signorelli5Samuela Cataldi6Tommaso Beccari7Elisa Delvecchio8Claudia Mazzeschi9Stefania Troiani10Elisabetta Albi11Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Philosophy, Social Sciences and Education, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, ItalyComplex Structure of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care, Azienda Ospedaliera Santa Maria della Misericordia, 06120 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, Section of General and Specialist Pediatrics, University of Perugia, 06120 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Philosophy, Social Sciences and Education, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Philosophy, Social Sciences and Education, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Philosophy, Social Sciences and Education, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, ItalyComplex Structure of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care, Azienda Ospedaliera Santa Maria della Misericordia, 06120 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy<b>Background:</b> Persistent alterations in taste and smell affect a significant proportion of individuals following COVID-19, representing a component of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, commonly referred to as long COVID. The degradation of sphingomyelin by acid sphingomyelinase is regarded as a biomarker for acquired demyelinating neuropathies. <b>Objectives:</b> This study was aimed to enroll women who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy and experienced persistent alterations in taste and/or smell for more than 1 year post-infection, in comparison to pregnant women without any disturbances in these senses. <b>Methods:</b> The patients were subjected to a questionnaire investigating smell and taste disorders more than 1 year after the infection. Then, the levels of acid sphingomyelinase in the plasma of the participants were assessed. <b>Results:</b> The results showed that in women who had been pregnant and who had been infected with SARS Cov-2 during the COVID period and who still had taste and smell disorders 1 year later, plasma acid sphingomyelinase levels were double that of pregnant women who had contracted the infection during the COVID period but had not reported taste and smell disorders and that of pregnant women analyzed after the COVID period. <b>Conclusions:</b> The results suggest a hypothesis that the persistence of sensory disturbances in long COVID was probably due to a failure to utilize brain circuitry with demyelination resulting from chemosensory dysfunction of the olfactory epithelium.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-841X/7/4/104tastesmellsphingomyelinsphingomyelinasepregnancylong COVID |
| spellingShingle | Federico Fiorani Giulia Moretti Laura Cerquiglini Chiara Gizzi Giulia Gizzi Paola Signorelli Samuela Cataldi Tommaso Beccari Elisa Delvecchio Claudia Mazzeschi Stefania Troiani Elisabetta Albi Relationship Between Plasma Acid Sphingomyelinase and Alteration in Taste and Smell as Indicator of Long COVID in Pregnant Women Reports taste smell sphingomyelin sphingomyelinase pregnancy long COVID |
| title | Relationship Between Plasma Acid Sphingomyelinase and Alteration in Taste and Smell as Indicator of Long COVID in Pregnant Women |
| title_full | Relationship Between Plasma Acid Sphingomyelinase and Alteration in Taste and Smell as Indicator of Long COVID in Pregnant Women |
| title_fullStr | Relationship Between Plasma Acid Sphingomyelinase and Alteration in Taste and Smell as Indicator of Long COVID in Pregnant Women |
| title_full_unstemmed | Relationship Between Plasma Acid Sphingomyelinase and Alteration in Taste and Smell as Indicator of Long COVID in Pregnant Women |
| title_short | Relationship Between Plasma Acid Sphingomyelinase and Alteration in Taste and Smell as Indicator of Long COVID in Pregnant Women |
| title_sort | relationship between plasma acid sphingomyelinase and alteration in taste and smell as indicator of long covid in pregnant women |
| topic | taste smell sphingomyelin sphingomyelinase pregnancy long COVID |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-841X/7/4/104 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT federicofiorani relationshipbetweenplasmaacidsphingomyelinaseandalterationintasteandsmellasindicatoroflongcovidinpregnantwomen AT giuliamoretti relationshipbetweenplasmaacidsphingomyelinaseandalterationintasteandsmellasindicatoroflongcovidinpregnantwomen AT lauracerquiglini relationshipbetweenplasmaacidsphingomyelinaseandalterationintasteandsmellasindicatoroflongcovidinpregnantwomen AT chiaragizzi relationshipbetweenplasmaacidsphingomyelinaseandalterationintasteandsmellasindicatoroflongcovidinpregnantwomen AT giuliagizzi relationshipbetweenplasmaacidsphingomyelinaseandalterationintasteandsmellasindicatoroflongcovidinpregnantwomen AT paolasignorelli relationshipbetweenplasmaacidsphingomyelinaseandalterationintasteandsmellasindicatoroflongcovidinpregnantwomen AT samuelacataldi relationshipbetweenplasmaacidsphingomyelinaseandalterationintasteandsmellasindicatoroflongcovidinpregnantwomen AT tommasobeccari relationshipbetweenplasmaacidsphingomyelinaseandalterationintasteandsmellasindicatoroflongcovidinpregnantwomen AT elisadelvecchio relationshipbetweenplasmaacidsphingomyelinaseandalterationintasteandsmellasindicatoroflongcovidinpregnantwomen AT claudiamazzeschi relationshipbetweenplasmaacidsphingomyelinaseandalterationintasteandsmellasindicatoroflongcovidinpregnantwomen AT stefaniatroiani relationshipbetweenplasmaacidsphingomyelinaseandalterationintasteandsmellasindicatoroflongcovidinpregnantwomen AT elisabettaalbi relationshipbetweenplasmaacidsphingomyelinaseandalterationintasteandsmellasindicatoroflongcovidinpregnantwomen |