Minan Y. Al-Ezzi

Bio: Minan Y. Al-Ezzi is an academic researcher from Queen Mary University of London. The author has contributed to research in topics: Internal medicine & Visual analogue scale. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 3 publications receiving 24 citations.

Primary Sjögren's syndrome impact on smell, taste, sexuality and quality of life in female patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract: Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the impact of dryness caused by primary Sjogren’s Syndrome (pSS) on smell, taste and sexual function in female patients, and its influence on quality of life.Methods: Electronic databases including MEDLINE via Ovid, Web of Science, SCOUPUS, EMBASE and COCHRANE LIBRARY were searched until April 2016. Studies that assessed the function of smell, taste and sexuality in pSS patients, defined by the American European Consensus Group (AECG) criteria. Standardized mean differences (SMD) for individual studies using random-effects meta-analysis were feasible.Results: Five studies incorporated 378 participants were included in the quantitative synthesis. The impact of pSS vs. healthy controls was: smell SMD −0.78 (95% CI −1.29 to −0.27); taste SMD −1.01 (95% CI −1.54 to −0.49); total sexual function SMD −0.93 (95% CI −1.22 to −0.64); physical and mental component of the quality of life SMD −1.28 (95% CI −1.65 to −0.90) and SMD −0.83 (95% CI −1.27 to −0.40) res...

Is the taste acuity affected by oral dryness in primary Sjögren's syndrome patients?

Abstract: Objectives Taste disturbance is a symptom of primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) of unknown aetiology. This study's objectives were (a) to compare taste function in pSS vs. healthy subjects; (b) to establish whether there is an association between the taste acuity and oral dryness and/or the neurosensory threshold; and (c) to assess the impact of taste dysfunction on the quality of life (QoL). Methodology This study was conducted on 65 pSS females and 62 healthy volunteers. The gustatory function was tested with taste strips test. Visual analogue scale was used for self-assessment of taste function. The electrogustometer was used to assess the neurosensory threshold. The oral dryness was assessed by the Clinical Oral Dryness Score, salivary flow rate and Xerostomia Inventory. The general and oral health-related QoL and mental health well-being were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results The pSS group had significantly impaired taste function, but this was not correlated with oral dryness. There was an association between taste acuity and the neurosensory threshold (β = -0.5, 95% CI = -0.2 to -0.1). The QoL was not impacted by taste dysfunction (p > .5). Conclusion The results suggest that taste impairment in pSS is associated with neurosensory dysfunction and is unlikely to be due to oral dryness.

Smell Dysfunction in Patients with Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome: Impact on Quality of Life

Abstract: Objectives: Patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) often report smell and taste disturbances. However, the correlation between smell impairment and mucosal dryness is not well understood. The objectives of this study were to investigate the following: (1) the prevalence of smell hypofunction in patients with SS; (2) the impact of smell hypofunction on their quality of life (QoL); (3) whether the patients’ smell is correlated with xerostomia; and (4) whether the patients’ smell is affected by taste hypofunction, disease duration, age, smoking or self-reported neuropathy. Methodology: An ethically approved cross-sectional study was conducted on 65 female patients with SS and 62 sex-matched healthy controls. Their smell was assessed using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test. Their taste acuity was assessed using the Taste Strips Test. A visual analogue scale was used for the self-assessment of smell and taste functions. Xerostomia was assessed by the salivary flow rate, clinical oral dryness score and the Xerostomia Inventory. The patients’ QoL and mental health well-being were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results: In the SS group, the patients’ smell function was impaired in 27/65 patients compared with the controls (15/62, p < 0.05), and it did not correlate with the severity of xerostomia, taste acuity (r = 0.05, p = 0.6) or self-reported nasal dryness (r = −0.02, p = 0.7). In the patients’ group, smell hypofunction was not correlated with disease duration (β = 0.1, 95% CI = −0.07–0.1) or smoking (β = −0.02, 95% CI = −8–7). Age was not correlated with the smell function in the patients’ group (β = −0.1, p = 0.5) but was correlated significantly with smell in the healthy participants’ group (β = −0.3, p = 0.02). Neuropathy affected 81.2% of the patients’ group. Their QoL and mental health well-being were not affected by smell hypofunction. Conclusion: Smell hypofunction appears to be a clinical manifestation in patients with SS, but it does not seem to be associated with the severity of mucosal dryness or with taste disturbance.

Current State of Knowledge on Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome, an Autoimmune Exocrinopathy

Abstract: Primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS) is a chronic systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of the salivary and lacrimal glands, whereby sicca syndrome and/or systemic manifestations are the clinical hallmarks, associated with a particular autoantibody profile. pSS is the most frequent connective tissue disease after rheumatoid arthritis, affecting 0.3–3% of the population. Women are more prone to develop pSS than men, with a sex ratio of 9:1. Considered in the past as innocent collateral passive victims of autoimmunity, the epithelial cells of the salivary glands are now known to play an active role in the pathogenesis of the disease. The aetiology of the “autoimmune epithelitis” still remains unknown, but certainly involves genetic, environmental and hormonal factors. Later during the disease evolution, the subsequent chronic activation of B cells can lead to the development of systemic manifestations or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The aim of the present comprehensive review is to provide the current state of knowledge on pSS. The review addresses the clinical manifestations and complications of the disease, the diagnostic workup, the pathogenic mechanisms and the therapeutic approaches.

International consensus statement on allergy and rhinology: Olfaction

Abstract: The literature regarding clinical olfaction, olfactory loss, and olfactory dysfunction has expanded rapidly over the past two decades, with an exponential rise in the past year. There is substantial variability in the quality of this literature and a need to consolidate and critically review the evidence. It is with that aim that we have gathered experts from around the world to produce this International Consensus on Allergy and Rhinology: Olfaction (ICAR:O).

Depression in primary Sjögren's syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract: There is substantial uncertainty regarding the prevalence of depression in Primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS). We conducted a systematic review aiming to evaluate the association of pSS with depression. PubMed, Web of Science, VIP, CNKI and Wanfang database were searched to find the published literatures (from these databases established to October 2016). Studies were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria and the qualities of included studies were evaluated. The data was analyzed using Revman5.2 software. A total of 12 studies including 1917 patients were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review and meta-analysis. In this meta-analysis, Severity of depression was assessed using psychometric measures, such as PHQ-9; HADS; CES-D; Zung depression scale and BDI. The result revealed that pSS was associated with an increased prevalence of depression (summary odds ratio (OR) = 5.36, 95% CI: 4.05–7.09, P < 0.01). The depression score in pSS patients (standardized mean difference (SMD...

Cytokine secretion and the risk of depression development in patients with connective tissue diseases.

Abstract: Research in the past two decades has revolutionized our understanding of depressive illnesses. Proinflammatory cytokines have become a point of interest in the interconnecting areas of neuropsychiatric and autoimmune diseases. The cytokine hypothesis of depression suggests that pro-inflammatory cytokines play a primary role in the mediation of the pathophysiological characteristics of major depression, in which an inflammatory process may be induced by external and internal stressors, such as psychological and inflammatory diseases, respectively. The higher prevalence of depression, particularly in patients with chronic autoimmune connective tissue disorders (CTD), suggests that depression may present a dysfunctional adaptation of cytokine-induced sickness, which could manifest in times of an exacerbated activation of the innate immune system. Inflammation is thought to contribute to the development of clinical depression through its ability to induce sickness behaviors corresponding to the neurovegetative features of depression, through the dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, alterations in neurotransmitter synthesis and reuptake, and through its involvement in the neuroprogression pathways. This review explores the complex interrelationships in which inflammatory responses alter neuroendocrine and neuropsychological regulation contributing to depressive symptoms in CTD. The prevalence and characteristics of depression, and its correlation to the levels of inflammatory cytokines and disease activity among different CTD will be reviewed.

Systematic Review of the Impact of Inflammatory Arthritis on Intimate Relationships and Sexual Function.

Abstract: Objective To systematically review evidence of the impact of inflammatory arthritis on, or association of inflammatory arthritis with, intimate relationships and sexual function. Methods Ovid Medline, Ovid PsycINFO, Ovid Embase, and EBSCO CINAHL databases were searched. Two independent reviewers selected articles, extracted data, and conducted manual searches of reference lists from included studies and previous reviews. The quality of evidence was assessed using standard risk-of-bias tools. Results Fifty-five eligible studies were reviewed. Of these, 49 (89%) were quantitative, 5 (9.1%) were qualitative, and 1 (1.8%) used a mixed-method design. Few quantitative studies were rated as low risk of bias (n = 7 [14%]), many were rated as moderate (n = 37 [74%]) or high risk (n = 6 [12%]). Quantitative study sample sizes ranged from 10 to 1,272 participants, with a reported age range 32-63 years. Qualitative study sample sizes ranged from 8 to 57 participants, with a reported age range 20-69 years. In studies reporting the Female Sexual Function Index, all inflammatory arthritis groups demonstrated mean scores ≤26.55 (range of mean ± SD scores: 14.2 ± 7.8 to 25.7 ± 4.7), indicating sexual dysfunction. In studies reporting the International Index of Erectile Function, all inflammatory arthritis groups reported mean scores ≤25 (range of mean ± SD scores: 16.0 ± 5.3 to 23.8 ± 7.0), indicating erectile dysfunction. Key qualitative themes were impaired sexual function and compromised intimate relationships; prominent subthemes included inflammatory arthritis-related pain and fatigue, erectile dysfunction, diminished sexual desire, and sexual function fluctuations according to disease activity. Conclusion Sexual dysfunction appears highly prevalent among men and women with inflammatory arthritis, and increased clinician awareness of this impairment may guide provision of tailored education and support.