Claire Hopkins

Last updated

Claire Hopkins

FRCS
Alma mater University of Oxford (DM)
Scientific career
Fields Otorhinolaryngology
Institutions Guy's Hospital
King's College, London
Thesis Understanding outcome variation in sinonasal surgery  (2004)
Website www.londonbridgehospital.com/LBH/consultant-det/miss-claire-hopkins

Claire Hopkins FRCS is a British Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) surgeon at Guy's Hospital and Professor of Rhinology at King's College London. She is the President of the British Rhinological Society. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hopkins successfully campaigned to have anosmia recognised as a symptom of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Hopkins studied physiology and medicine at the University of Oxford and gained her Doctor of Medicine (DM) degree in 2004. [2] Whilst at Oxford, Hopkins was awarded the Martin Wronker Prize for Medicine. [3] She trained in otorhinolaryngology at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, where she was appointed a fellow in rhinology. At the start of her career endoscopic sinus surgery was becoming more commonplace. Early in her clinical training Hopkins worked on the National Audit of Sinonasal surgery, with whom she conducted one of the first multi-centre outcome studies in sinus surgery. The study, Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT) 22, is a patient-reported measure of outcome outcome measure, and it is now used both nationally and internationally. [4]

Research and career

Hopkins was later appointed a consultant Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon at the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Her focus is rhinology, the 'N' of ENT. Speaking about the considerable underrepresentation of women in medicine, Hopkins said, "if I had a pound for every time a patient had asked me (after I examined the patient... and went through the consent process for surgery), 'so will I ever get to meet the Professor Hopkins, is he here?' I would have retired a long time ago,". [5] Hopkins helped to construct international guidelines for the management of nasal polyps. [6] [7] In an interview with Student and Foundation Doctors in Otolaryngology (SFOUK), Hopkins explained that "..the downside of being so specialised is that after a day in outpatients, I sometimes feel as if I am drowning in snot". [8]

Hopkins was made a Professor of Rhinology in 2016. [9] In 2017 Hopkins she gave her inaugural lecture at King's College London, where she discussed her efforts to improve the effectiveness of sinus surgery interventions. [4] In 2019 Hopkins was elected President of the British Rhinological Society. [10]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hopkins argued that anosmia (i.e. the loss of sense of smell) should be included in the list of symptoms of COVID-19, [11] [ failed verification ] [12] [13] and that people who suffer from anosmia should self-isolate. [14] Speaking to the BBC, Hopkins explained that anosmia is a common symptom of COVID-19 in young people, [15] and that it can have a rapid onset without any accompanying blocked nose. In particular, she did not notice significant nasal congestion or rhinorrhea in COVID-19 patients in her own clinical practise. [16] Data from a COVID-19 tracking app developed by King's College London indicated that almost 60% of people who test positive for COVID-19 had lost their sense of smell or taste, which was more than those who had experienced fever. Hopkins said that most people regain their sense of smell within a fortnight. She worked with a group of physicians from across Europe to better understand the sense of smell of COVID-19 positive patients. [12] Together the team were able to show that there is 95% chance that people who experience a sudden loss of smell without any other symptoms would test positive for COVID-19. [12] Working with ENT UK, the United Kingdom's professional body that represents ENT surgeons, and the charity Fifth Sense, Hopkins provided patient advice for people who experience anosmia due to COVID-19. [17] [18] [19]

In April 2020 Hopkins worked with Nirmal Kumar to create a citizen science project (#CovidSmellTest) which asked people to smell household objects and resort their results. [20] In a survey of over 4,000 COVID-19 patients Hopkins and the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research found that COVID-19 patients experienced an 80% drop in their sense of smell, and almost a 70% drop in their sense of taste. Hopkins was particularly concerned that key workers who continued to work when suffering from anosmia could have been inadvertently spreading COVID-19. [21] [22] In mid May 2020 Hopkins claimed that it was "clinical negligence" for NHS 111 not to recognise anosmia as being a likely symptom of COVID-19. [12] She also emphasised that losing a sense of smell can be so isolating that it causes depression. [23]

On May 18, 2020 the Government of the United Kingdom acknowledged that anosmia was a recognised symptom of COVID-19. [24] Hopkins worked with the British Rhinological Society to create a series of online courses for patients and general practitioners. [23]

Selected publications

Awards and honours

Hopkins is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS).

Personal life

Hopkins is married with two children. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otorhinolaryngology</span> Medical specialty

Otorhinolaryngology ( oh-toh-RY-noh-LARR-in-GOL-ə-jee, abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology – head and neck surgery, or ear, nose, and throat is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical and medical management of conditions of the head and neck. Doctors who specialize in this area are called otorhinolaryngologists, otolaryngologists, head and neck surgeons, or ENT surgeons or physicians. Patients seek treatment from an otorhinolaryngologist for diseases of the ear, nose, throat, base of the skull, head, and neck. These commonly include functional diseases that affect the senses and activities of eating, drinking, speaking, breathing, swallowing, and hearing. In addition, ENT surgery encompasses the surgical management of cancers and benign tumors and reconstruction of the head and neck as well as plastic surgery of the face, scalp, and neck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinusitis</span> Inflammation of the mucous membrane that lines the sinuses resulting in symptoms

Sinusitis, also known as rhinosinusitis, is inflammation of the mucous membranes that line the sinuses resulting in symptoms that may include thick nasal mucus, a plugged nose, and facial pain. Other signs and symptoms may include fever, headaches, a poor sense of smell, sore throat, a feeling that phlegm is oozing out from the back of the nose to the throat along with a necessity to clear the throat frequently and frequent attacks of cough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anosmia</span> Inability to smell

Anosmia, also known as smell blindness, is the loss of the ability to detect one or more smells. Anosmia may be temporary or permanent. It differs from hyposmia, which is a decreased sensitivity to some or all smells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease</span> Chronic immune dysregulation disease

Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), also called NSAID-exacerbated respiratory disease (NERD/N-ERD) or historically aspirin-induced asthma and Samter's Triad, refers to the triad of asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, and intolerance of aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). AERD most commonly begins in early- to mid-adulthood and is a chronic disease that has no known cure. The cause of the disease is a dysregulation of the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway and of various innate immune cells, though the initial cause of this dysregulation is not currently known. While NSAID intolerance is a defining feature of AERD, simple avoidance does not prevent the onset, development or perennial nature of the disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nasal septum deviation</span> Disorder of the nose

Nasal septum deviation is a physical disorder of the nose, involving a displacement of the nasal septum. Some displacement is common, affecting 80% of people, mostly without their knowledge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nasal septum perforation</span> Medical condition

A nasal septum perforation is a medical condition in which the nasal septum, the bony/cartilaginous wall dividing the nasal cavities, develops a hole or fissure.

Ageusia is the loss of taste functions of the tongue, particularly the inability to detect sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and umami. It is sometimes confused with anosmia – a loss of the sense of smell. Because the tongue can only indicate texture and differentiate between sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami, most of what is perceived as the sense of taste is actually derived from smell. True ageusia is relatively rare compared to hypogeusia – a partial loss of taste – and dysgeusia – a distortion or alteration of taste.

Parosmia is a dysfunctional smell detection characterized by the inability of the brain to correctly identify an odor's "natural" smell. Instead, the natural odor is usually transformed into an unpleasant aroma, typically a "burned", "rotting", "fecal", or "chemical" smell. There can also be rare instances of a pleasant odor called euosmia. The condition was rare and little-researched until it became relatively more widespread since 2020 as a side effect of COVID-19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empty nose syndrome</span> Medical condition

Empty nose syndrome (ENS) is a clinical syndrome, the hallmark symptom of which is a sensation of suffocation despite a clear airway. This syndrome is often referred to as a form of secondary atrophic rhinitis. ENS is a potential complication of nasal turbinate surgery or injury. Patients have usually undergone a turbinectomy or other surgical procedures that injure the nasal turbinates.

Balloon sinuplasty is a procedure that ear, nose and throat surgeons may use for the treatment of blocked sinuses. Patients diagnosed with sinusitis but not responding to medications may be candidates for sinus surgery. Balloon technology was initially cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2005 and is an endoscopic, catheter-based system for chronic sinusitis. It uses a balloon over a wire catheter to dilate sinus passageways. The balloon is inflated with the goal of dilating the sinus openings, widening the walls of the sinus passageway and restoring normal drainage.

Phantosmia, also called an olfactory hallucination or a phantom odor, is smelling an odor that is not actually there. This is intrinsically suspicious as the formal evaluation and detection of relatively low levels of odour particles is itself a very tricky task in air epistemology. It can occur in one nostril or both. Unpleasant phantosmia, cacosmia, is more common and is often described as smelling something that is burned, foul, spoiled, or rotten. Experiencing occasional phantom smells is normal and usually goes away on its own in time. When hallucinations of this type do not seem to go away or when they keep coming back, it can be very upsetting and can disrupt an individual's quality of life.

Chronic atrophic rhinitis, or simply atrophic rhinitis, is a chronic inflammation of the nose characterised by atrophy of nasal mucosa, including the glands, turbinate bones and the nerve elements supplying the nose. Chronic atrophic rhinitis may be primary and secondary. Special forms of chronic atrophic rhinitis are rhinitis sicca anterior and ozaena. It can also be described as the empty nose syndrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Functional endoscopic sinus surgery</span> Surgery to enlarge the paranasal sinus drainage pathways

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is a procedure that is used to treat sinusitis and other conditions that affect the sinuses. Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses that can cause symptoms such as congestion, headaches, and difficulty breathing through the nose.

Zicam is a branded series of products marketed for cold and allergy relief whose original formulations included the element zinc. The Zicam name is derived from a portmanteau of the words "zinc" and "ICAM-1". It is labelled as an "unapproved homeopathic" product and as such has no evidence of effectiveness.

Dysosmia is a disorder described as any qualitative alteration or distortion of the perception of smell. Qualitative alterations differ from quantitative alterations, which include anosmia and hyposmia. Dysosmia can be classified as either parosmia or phantosmia. Parosmia is a distortion in the perception of an odorant. Odorants smell different from what one remembers. Phantosmia is the perception of an odor when no odorant is present. The cause of dysosmia still remains a theory. It is typically considered a neurological disorder and clinical associations with the disorder have been made. Most cases are described as idiopathic and the main antecedents related to parosmia are URTIs, head trauma, and nasal and paranasal sinus disease. Dysosmia tends to go away on its own but there are options for treatment for patients that want immediate relief.

The British Rhinological Society is a learned society that encourages education and research in topics related to rhinology, the nose, sinuses and facial plastics. From 2019 to 2022 Claire Hopkins served as the society's president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symptoms of COVID-19</span> Overview of the symptoms of COVID-19

The symptoms of COVID-19 are variable depending on the type of variant contracted, ranging from mild symptoms to a potentially fatal illness. Common symptoms include coughing, fever, loss of smell (anosmia) and taste (ageusia), with less common ones including headaches, nasal congestion and runny nose, muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhea, eye irritation, and toes swelling or turning purple, and in moderate to severe cases, breathing difficulties. People with the COVID-19 infection may have different symptoms, and their symptoms may change over time. Three common clusters of symptoms have been identified: one respiratory symptom cluster with cough, sputum, shortness of breath, and fever; a musculoskeletal symptom cluster with muscle and joint pain, headache, and fatigue; and a cluster of digestive symptoms with abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. In people without prior ear, nose, or throat disorders, loss of taste combined with loss of smell is associated with COVID-19 and is reported in as many as 88% of symptomatic cases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on neurological, psychological and other mental health outcomes</span> Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns on mental health

There is increasing evidence suggesting that COVID-19 causes both acute and chronic neurologicalor psychological symptoms. Caregivers of COVID-19 patients also show a higher than average prevalence of mental health concerns. These symptoms result from multiple different factors.

Smell training or olfactory training is the act of regularly sniffing or exposing oneself to robust aromas with the intention of regaining a sense of smell. The stimulating smells used are often selected from major smell categories, such as aromatic, flowery, fruity, and resinous. Using strong scents, the patient is asked to sniff each different smell for a minimum of 20 seconds, no less than two times per day, for three to six months or more. It is used as a rehabilitative therapy to help people who have anosmia or post-viral olfactory dysfunction, a symptom of COVID-19. It was considered a promising experimental treatment in a 2017 meta-analysis.

Odontogenic sinusitis is a type of sinusitis, specifically caused by dental infections or procedures. Comprising approximately 10-12% of all chronic sinusitis cases, this condition primarily affects the maxillary sinus, which is in close proximity to the upper teeth.

References

  1. ↑ "World-class private hospital". London Bridge Hospital.
  2. ↑ Hopkins, Claire (2004). Understanding outcome variation in sinonasal surgery. bodleian.ox.ac.uk (DM thesis). University of Oxford. OCLC   863482555. EThOS   uk.bl.ethos.420444.
  3. ↑ Trust, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation. "Hopkins, Claire - ENT consultant". guysandstthomas.nhs.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  4. 1 2 "King's College London - Inaugural Lecture - Professor Claire Hopkins". kcl.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  5. ↑ Irene, Bellini, Maria; E, Papalois, Vassilios (16 August 2019). Gender Equity in the Medical Profession. IGI Global. ISBN   978-1-5225-9600-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "Professor Claire Hopkins". hcahealthcare.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  7. ↑ Hopkins, Claire; Loh, Chris; Roberts, David (2008), Hopkins, Claire (ed.), "Surgical interventions for nasal polyps", Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, doi:10.1002/14651858.cd006990
  8. 1 2 "Miss Claire Hopkins DM FRCS (ORL-HNS) | SFO UK". sfo.entuk.org. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "Professor Claire Hopkins | HCA UK". Doctify. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  10. ↑ "British Rhinological Society". britishrhinologicalsociety.org.uk. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media". consent.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Brewer, Kirstie (14 May 2020). "Why hasn't the UK listed smell loss as a Covid-19 symptom?". bbc.com. BBC News . Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  13. ↑ "New symptom of coronavirus could be loss of taste and smell, top UK doctor says". The Independent. 21 March 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  14. ↑ Stone, Judy (2020). "Should You Self-Isolate For COVID-19 Coronavirus If You Can't Smell?". Forbes. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "New COVID-19 tip-off may be loss of smell - Clinical Daily News". mcknights.com. McKnight's Long Term Care News. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  16. ↑ Xydakis, Michael S.; Dehgani-Mobaraki, Puya; Holbrook, Eric H.; Geisthoff, Urban W.; Bauer, Christian; Hautefort, Charlotte; Herman, Philippe; Manley, Geoffrey T.; Lyon, Dina M.; Hopkins, Claire (2020). "Smell and taste dysfunction in patients with COVID-19". The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 20 (9): 1015–1016. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30293-0. ISSN   1473-3099. PMC   7159875 . PMID   32304629.
  17. ↑ "Patient advice for anosmia or loss of smell caused by COVID-19". entuk.org. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  18. ↑ "Loss of sense of smell as marker of COVID-19 infection" (PDF). entuk.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  19. ↑ "Information for rhinologists on COVID-19". europeanrhinologicsociety.org. European Rhinologic Society. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  20. ↑ "'Smell test' campaign could help experts track coronavirus spread". thenorthernecho.co.uk. The Northern Echo. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  21. ↑ Lawrence-Jones, Charlie (24 March 2020). "How people like me could infect thousands of Londoners with coronavirus". getwestlondon. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  22. ↑ Rabin, Roni Caryn (2020). "Lost Sense of Smell May Be Peculiar Clue to Coronavirus Infection". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  23. 1 2 Rimmer, Abi (26 May 2020). "Anosmia: Five minutes with ENT consultant Claire Hopkins". BMJ. 369: m2095. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2095 . ISSN   1756-1833. PMID   32457085.
  24. ↑ "COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and Smell Loss Latest News". fifthsense.org.uk. Fifth Sense. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.