Prevalence of dysphonia due to COVID-19 at Salahaddin General Hospital, Tikrit City, Iraq

Abstract

Background Dysphonia is a feature of the COVID-19 disease with different prevalence rates of occurrence among various nations. Objectives To determine the prevalence of dysphonia in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 disease. Materials and methods The study was conducted at Salahaddin General Hospital during the period from January to March 2021. Hospitalized COVID-19 patients with or without dysphonia were enrolled in the study. Demographic and clinical data were recorded. The severity, duration, laryngoscopic finding, and fate of the dysphonia were registered too. Results Out of 94 subjects, there were 21 (22.3%) with dysphonia. The age was ranged from 23 to 101 years, with nearly equal gender distribution. Non-smokers were found in 52.1% of the cases. Dyspnea (100%), fever (100%), and cough (98.9%) were the most common presenting symptoms. There was a statistically significant difference between the dysphonic and non-dysphonic groups regarding fatigue, nasal obstruction, and diarrhea (P-value<0.05). Mild dysphonia was found in 10 (47.6%) of the dysphonic cases. The most common laryngoscopic finding was the bowing of the vocal cords. Most of the patients (11/18) were with dysphonia for more than a month duration. Similar numbers were not recovered for a one-month follow-up. Conclusion The prevalence of dysphonia was 22.3%. Dyspnea, fever, and cough were the commonest symptoms. Fatigue, nasal obstruction, and diarrhea affected dysphonia. Bowing of the vocal cords was the most common abnormality. Most of the cases were with mild dysphonia, persisting for more than a month, and were not resolved during the follow-up period of one month.

Prevalence of Dysphonia in Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Finally, 7 records entered the meta-analysis phase (Figure 1). The method of assessing dysphonia in patients with COVID-19 was in five articles of subjective tools [2,3,6,7,12] and two articles of objective tools [9,11]. So far, no article has been published in Persian in this field.…”

“…This virus can harm the larynx (voice box), as well as other areas of the body, and leads to dysphonia [1,9,10]. This symptom has a significant impact on COVID-19 pandemic messaging.…”

A systematic review and meta-analysis of otorhinolaryngological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 in paediatric patients

“…The current report showed fewer than 10 per cent of the studies reporting on the presence or absence of these symptoms. [115][116][117][118][119] The current analysis showed asymptomatic infections in almost a fourth of affected children. Previous reviews reported the proportion of asymptomatic infections as 40-45 per cent, 120 while the pooled prevalence of asymptomatic cases was calculated to be 48 per cent by Syangtan et al using a random effect model.…”

Commentary on the Letter to the Editor regarding "Dysphonia in COVID-19 patients: Direct or indirect symptom?

“…Therefore, there is a diversity and wide range of COVID-19 symptoms. We concentrated in our published article “Prevalence of dysphonia due to COVID-19 at Salahaddin General Hospital, Tikrit City, Iraq” in the Materials and Methods section on the most common symptoms and followed them by the abbreviation, etc.. as it appears in the following sentence [presenting symptoms (fever, cough, dyspnea, anosmia, ageusia, headache, myalgia, dysphonia, etc..)] [3] . Furthermore, when we reviewed the case sheets of the patients, we registered every patient symptom.…”

“…Also, this is mentioned in the Materials and Methods section [The treatment were included systemic steroids and supportive treatment according to the recommended regime by the Ministry of Health, Iraq.] [3] .…”