Otolaryngological symptoms in COVID-19

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of various otolaryngological symptoms in patients with COVID-19 with regard to age, gender and pneumonia-related thorax CT characteristics. Methods This is a retrospective study conducted between March 25, 2020 and April 25, 2020. The anamnesis and medical files of 155 patients who applied to our outpatient COVID-19 clinic were evaluated. Patients with positive PCR tests for COVID-19 who were aged between 18-72 years were divided into groups according to the presence of otolaryngological symptoms. The differences between the two groups were examined. Results Of the 155 patients, 89 (57.4%) had otolaryngological symptoms. The mean age of the patients was 36.3 +/- 8.1 years. Ninety-one (58.7%) patients were female, and 64 (42.2%) were male. Fifty-eight (37.4%) patients had received a clinical diagnosis of viral pneumonia with ground glass findings in tomography. The frequency of otolaryngological symptoms was higher in females than males (p: 0.029). The otolaryngological symptoms were also observed to be more frequent in the 18-30 age group (p: 0.013) compared to other age groups. Conclusions Tinnitus, gingivitis, sudden hearing loss, Bell's palsy, and hoarseness can be seen in COVID-19, albeit rarely. Revealing the otolaryngological symptoms of COVID-19, and obtaining more information about the extent of disease will be useful in managing patients and their complaints associated with otolaryngology

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of otolaryngological symptoms in COVID-19 patients based on age, gender, and pneumonia-related thorax CT characteristics. The results showed that otolaryngological symptoms were more common in females and in the 18-30 age group. Patients with viral pneumonia were more likely to exhibit these symptoms, providing important insights for managing COVID-19 patients with otolaryngological complaints.