Symptomatology of COVID-19 from the otorhinolaryngology perspective: a survey of 223 SARS-CoV-2 RNA-positive patients

Salepci, Egehan; Turk, Bilge; Ozcan, Safiye Nur; Bektas, Merve Ekici; Aybal, Alperen; Dokmetas, Ilyas; Turgut, Suat

PURPOSE: To determine prevalence, severity, duration, and time from onset to diagnosis of general and Otorhinolaryngologic symptoms related to COVID-19 in whole disease spectrum: from mild to critical patients. METHODS: All adult patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA found in nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs between March 10 and April 21, 2020 were surveyed by the authors for new onset symptoms during disease course. Demographic features, general symptoms, and Otorhinolaryngological symptoms were evaluated and compared by disease severity. RESULTS: Of 223 included patients, 18.4% had mild, 61.4%; moderate, 14.3%; severe, and 5.8%; critical disease. Median age was 51 (range 20–93), 113 (50.7%) were male and 110 (49.3%) were female. The most common general symptoms were fatigue, cough, and fever with respective frequencies of 71.3%, 54.3%, and 50.7%. The most common Otorhinolaryngologic symptoms were taste loss, smell loss, and sore throat with respective frequencies of 34.5%, 31.8%, and 26%. Fatigue, fever, and dyspnea were more common in severe-critical patients compared to mild–moderate patients (p = 0.029, p = 0.016, and p < 0.001, respectively). Only smell loss was more common in mild–moderate group (p = 0.003). Prevalence of other symptoms did not differ between groups. Symptom durations and onset time to diagnosis varied. CONCLUSION: When compared to the previous studies, while general symptoms were less common, Otorhinolaryngologic symptoms were more common in our study population. Considering high infection risks, Otorhinolaryngologists should be aware of COVID-19 patients presenting with Otorhinolaryngologic complaints. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s00405-020-06284-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.