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CC BY 4.0 · Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2024; 28(04): e597-e602
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1786831
Original Research

Study of Otorhinolaryngological Manifestations in Symptomatic COVID-19-Positive Patients at Tertiary Health Care Hospital: A Cross-sectional Study

Disha Amar Methwani 
1   Department of ENT, N. K. P. Salve Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
,
Nitin Deosthale 
1   Department of ENT, N. K. P. Salve Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
,
Sonali Khadakkar 
1   Department of ENT, N. K. P. Salve Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
,
Kanchan Dhote 
1   Department of ENT, N. K. P. Salve Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
,
Vivek Harkare 
1   Department of ENT, N. K. P. Salve Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
› Author Affiliations Funding There was no funding for the present research.
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Abstract

Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), also referred to as the 2019 novel coronavirus, is caused by a single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus. This infectious agent spreads through respiratory routes, primarily utilizing aerosols. In our study, we shed light on ear, nose, and throat (ENT) manifestations, which can be considered as prognostic clinical biomarkers to reduce forthcoming complications among such critically ill patients. This makes it feasible for researchers to investigate or fetch early diagnosis in such cases with ease without the use of large, extensive hospital-base setups.

Objective To study the otorhinolaryngological (ENT) manifestations in symptomatic COVID-19 patients.

Methods From January to December 2021, a cross-sectional observational study was conducted at the Department of ENT of a tertiary care hospital in central India. All eligible symptomatic COVID-19 patients admitted to this institution during the study period were consecutively enrolled. The Institutional Ethics Committee gave its permission for the project.

Results Out of the total of 1,375 patients, 78% of the patients diagnosed with COVID exhibited symptoms related to the ENT, while the remaining 22% did not display any ENT manifestations. Anosmia (71.2%), sore throat (55.62%), headache (44.3%), and loss of taste (66.3%) were among the most common ENT symptoms.

Conclusion The present study highlights ENT manifestations, which play a crucial role in the early diagnosis of COVID-19 patients, ensuring faster treatment and isolation for better containment of the disease. Symptomatic treatment has shown efficacy, but objective tests are needed to prevent overestimation, understand pathogenesis, and enhance treatment.

Keywords

COVID-19 - otorhinolaryngology manifestation - anosmia - headache - loss of taste

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

Patients' consent was obtained.


Institutional Review Board name: N.K.P. Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur.


Approval Number: ECR/88/Inst/MH/2013/RR-19


Consent for Publication

All authors give permission for the publication.


Availability of Data and Materials

Data was made available by the corresponding author.


Author's Contributions

1. Dr. Disha Amar Methwani: Conceptualization, formal analysis, resources, Methodology.


2. Dr. Nitin Deosthale: Validation, Formal analysis, Writing – Review.


3. Dr. Sonali Khadakkar: Writing original Draft, Data curation, Methodology.


4. Dr. Kanchan Dhote: Formal analysis.


5. Dr. Vivek Harkare: Review, resources.


Competing Interests

No competing interest was recorded.




Publication History

Received: 02 November 2023

Accepted: 31 March 2024

Article published online:
05 July 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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