Clinical Manifestations Of Otolaryngology In COVID-19

Abstract

Background: In late 2019, a new coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 emerged, causing an acute respiratory disease called COVID-19. The outbreak originated in China and quickly gained a global attention. COVID-19 can cause various upper respiratory tract symptoms such as sore throat, nasal obstruction, and loss of smell function. Patients and Methods: this is a cross-sectional descriptive study done during the COVID-19 pandemic from June 1st, 2020 to August 31st, 2020. The study was carried out in some isolation hospitals located in Baghdad and Najaf cities. The collected data are from laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 positive patients by using a pre-designed questionnaire which included demographic information such as age, gender, occupation, and place of residence. All participants were specifically asked about their symptoms related to the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) system. Results: A Total number of 408 confirmed Covid-19 cases had been included in the current study. Age range of participants was from 12 to 86 years with average of 51.42 years. The study has  revealed that sore throat is the predominant ENT symptom in COVID-19 cases, while ear symptoms are uncommon. The most common nasal manifestations observed in COVID-19 patients were anosmia/ hyposmia and nasal obstruction. Discussion: This study demonstrated the different ENT manifestations occurred  COVID-19 patients. These manifestations involved both lower and upper respiratory tract symptoms. Looking to these different manifestations with more interest can help in the early diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 cases.