Abstract
To evaluate otorhinolaryngological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 infection and the time required for their resolution. A prospective analysis was conducted of coronavirus disease 2019 patients presenting from 1 April 2020 to 30 July 2020. The otorhinolaryngological manifestations were evaluated based on patient history. The time required for symptom resolution was evaluated separately for intensive care unit and non-intensive care unit patients. A total of 600 patients were included in the study; 13.3 per cent required the intensive care unit and 2.2 per cent expired. The otorhinolaryngological manifestations were: sore throat (88 per cent), fever (78.8 per cent), anosmia or hyposmia (63.6 per cent), ageusia or hypogeusia (63.5 per cent), rhinorrhoea (51.3 per cent), nasal obstruction (33.5 per cent), sneezing (30.3 per cent), and breathing difficulty (18.6 per cent). The time required for symptom resolution was longest for breathing difficulty (23.6 days for intensive care unit and 8.2 days for non-intensive care unit patients). Otorhinolaryngological symptoms are one of the main presentations of coronavirus disease 2019 infection. The increased prevalence of medical co-morbidities in patients requiring intensive care unit and in deceased patients is also highlighted.
Highlights
The infection caused by a novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)), the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), has spread throughout the world
The Covid-19 infection presents with various manifestations, such as fever, cough, sore throat, breathing difficulty, headache, olfactory and gustatory symptoms, diarrhoea, myalgia, nasal obstruction, rhinorrhoea, fatigue, expectoration, and post-nasal drip.[4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]
This study describes the otorhinolaryngological manifestations of Covid-19 infection, with an intention to help physicians diagnose the Covid-19 infection at the earliest stage
Summary
The infection caused by a novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)), the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), has spread throughout the world. It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020.1 Coronavirus disease 2019 primarily affects the respiratory system, it can involve other organ systems of the body.[2] The nasal and the oral cavity are the main portal of entry of the virus, with the nasal cavity and the nasopharynx regarded as the most common sites for virus replication.[3]. The presentation of Covid-19 infection is becoming more and more diverse as the transmission crosses geographical borders
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