Prevalence of dysphonia due to COVID-19 at Salahaddin General Hospital, Tikrit City, Iraq

BACKGROUND: Dysphonia is a feature of the COVID-19 disease with different prevalence rates of occurrence among various nations. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of dysphonia in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted at Salahaddin General Hospital during the period from January to March 2021. Hospitalized COVID-19 patients with or without dysphonia were enrolled in the study. Demographic and clinical data were recorded. The severity, duration, laryngoscopic finding, and fate of the dysphonia were registered too. RESULTS: Out of 94 subjects, there were 21 (22.3%) with dysphonia. The age was ranged from 23 to 101 years, with nearly equal gender distribution. Non-smokers were found in 52.1% of the cases. Dyspnea (100%), fever (100%), and cough (98.9%) were the most common presenting symptoms. There was a statistically significant difference between the dysphonic and non-dysphonic groups regarding fatigue, nasal obstruction, and diarrhea (P-value<0.05). Mild dysphonia was found in 10 (47.6%) of the dysphonic cases. The most common laryngoscopic finding was the bowing of the vocal cords (5/18). Most of the patients (11/18) were with dysphonia for more than a month duration. Similar numbers were not recovered for a one-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of dysphonia was 22.3%. Dyspnea, fever, and cough were the commonest symptoms. Fatigue, nasal obstruction, and diarrhea affected dysphonia. Bowing of the vocal cords was the most common abnormality. Most of the cases were with mild dysphonia, persisting for more than a month, and were not resolved during the follow-up period of one month.