The COVID-19 pandemic began in China in the city of Wuhan on 29th December 2019, when the health officials of the city reported four cases with pneumonia-like symptoms. This was the beginning of a global disaster as just after one-month,similar cases were reported in 19 more countries. On 11th March 2020,theWorld Health Organization declared a health emergency and declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. Since then, the world has changed drastically. The COVID-19 pandemic was something the world was not prepared for and the years 2019 and 2020went down as the toughest years of the 21st century so far,for society as a whole.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, chills, headache, sore throat, loss of smell and taste, and in severe cases,people complain about shortness of breath. It usually takes around seven to fourteen days to fully recover from the COVID-19infection. While the severity was an issue, the major concern was the high transmissibility potential of the virus. Measures were taken to combat the rapid spread and partial or complete lockdowns were implemented worldwide. Eventually, the intensity of the spread was brought under control. Vaccines were developed and the latest reports tell us that about 70% of the world population is vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.
However, even after fully recovering from COVID-19, majority of people still go through the long-term effects of the virus, particularly in terms of their immunity.One of the post-COVID-19 symptoms experienced by a lot of people is the loss of smell and taste.Upon realizing that these symptoms were not recoverable, researchers and scientists began working at a breakneck speed to find a cure for the virus and its long-lasting symptoms. One of those researchers is Arianna Di Stadio. She made a breakthrough via her researchby finding the cure for smell loss symptoms experienced by most COVID-affected patients. A combination of olfactory rehabilitation and an anti-neuroinflammation molecule (PEA-LUT) was used in her treatment.
In 1999, Arianna Di Stadio graduated with a Doctor of Medicine Degree from La Sapienza University, located in Rome. After completing her residency in the field of Otolaryngology in 2003, she got her Doctorate Degree in Advance Audiology Technologies in 2007. She also won the EAFPS fellowship in 2008, which had only three positions available all over Europe. In 2009, Arianna was appointed as a Clinical Fellow at the European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery, where she worked for one year.Another highlight of Arianna’s highly decorated academic and professional career was the completion of her degree in her Clinical Fellowship in Microsurgery from the University of Paris in 2011.Later,Arianna also worked as a Clinical Fellow in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Bordeaux Segalen University in 2014.In 2015, she served as theSenior Research Fellow in Otology and Laryngology at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts. In 2017, along with her fellowship, Arianna acquired her Master’s Degree in Applied Biostatic. In 2021, she completed her Masters in Implantable Hearing Prosthesis from the University La Sapienza. Despite being highly qualified, Arianna hasn’t stopped acquiring more knowledge in the field of neurology as she is currently in the course of obtaininga Master’sdegree in Clinical Neurology from UCL Queen Square Neurology, which is located in London.
Apart from being a surgeon, research coordinator, neuroscientist, clinical researcher, and teacher, Arianna Di Stadiois also a published author and has worked as an editor for reviewing several scientific journals. Some of her published works areTranslational Autoimmunity (Volume 4): Autoimmune Disease in Different Organs, Advance in the Rehabilitation of Hearing Loss, Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment, Facial Paralysis: Clinical Features, Management, andOutcomesandHearing Loss: Medical-Legal Aspect.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a cataclysmic occurrence and caught us all by surprise. There was no treatment available for COVID-19 when it began. But because of the constant efforts of researchers like Arianna, we not only have a cure for the virus but also have effective treatments for its lasting symptoms.
