Impact of covid-19 pandemic on laryngeal morbidity

Abstract

Among the symptoms of COVID-19, scientists pay the most attention to damage to the lower respiratory tract, neurological and cardiovascular systems, gastrointestinal tract, psychoemotional disorders and anosmia. Less common are articles about the state of auditory and vestibular as well as voice disorders. Inflammatory changes of the larynx, trauma due to intubation and severe coughing, neuropathy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, consequences of the pathology of the bronchopulmonary system, psychogenic factors are indicated as the cause of dysphonia. The purpose of our study is to determine the structure of laryngeal morbidity in voice professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis of case histories of 2,438 patients of voice professions who applied to the phoniatric department of the Saint Petersburg Institute of Ear, Throat, Nose, and Speech was performed. The diagnosis, a history of COVID-19, dysphonia directly during COVID-19 were considered. The number of patients compared to the period before the COVID-19 decreased by 39,8% due to anti-epidemic measures. The leading causes were functional dysphonia (29,3%), acute and chronic laryngitis (27,8%). Tumor-like disease are in third place (19,1%). Paresis of the larynx (8,5%) was diagnosed less frequently compared to the period before the pandemic, which is associated with a reduction in the number of elective operations on the organs of the head and neck. The frequency of laryngeal neoplasms (4,1%) has remained at the same level, almost half of them are malignant. Congenital malformations of the larynx were found in 2,9% of patients. Vascular pathology of the vocal folds was detected in 1.1%, scar stenosis, in 0,5%, rare diseases of the larynx, in 0,6% of patients. Appeals on the other occasions accounted for 6,1% of cases. 43,7% of patient have had COVID-19. The direct connection of dysphonia with COVID-19 was revealed in 18,0% of them. The most common cause of impaired vocal function against the background of coronavirus infection were functional dysphonia (39,1%) and inflammatory diseases of the larynx (34,9%). Tumor-like disease became the next most common (17,2%). Vascular pathology of the vocal folds was found less frequently (5,2%). Unilateral vocal fold paresis was detected in 3,1% of patients. One patient suffered from chondroperichondritis with granuloma formation in the area of the arytenoid cartilage of the larynx (0,5%). In relation to the total number of examined patients, COVID-19 as the cause of dysphonia was 7,9% of cases.