Prevalence of ENT manifestations in Moderate and Severe COVID-19

Resumen

Objective: The goal of this study was to detect, analyze and describe the presence of Otorhinolaryngology manifestations in patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 disease.

Material and Methods: 300 patients with laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 between October and December of 2020 and with hospitalization, were asked about ENT manifestations, such as, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, odynophagia, headache and smell and taste dysfunctions.

Results: Of the 330 patients, Otorhinolaryngology symptoms were detected in 65 patients. The median age of the patients was 59,29 years. ENT symptoms started an average 5,52 days before the clinical worsening. The most common findings were rhinorrhea (n=28), headache (n=27), odynophagia (n=21) and smell dysfunction (n=18). Rhinorrhea and loss of smell were the most common complaints as a single symptom. On the other hand, isolated nasal congestion or loss of taste were not found in the sample. The most common triad found was nasal congestion, rhinorrhea and headache.

Conclusion: We concluded that one in five patients who progress to moderate or severe disease had ENT symptoms previously and not only lower respiratory symptoms and we must be aware of them.