Self-perceived dysphagia in non-invasively ventilated COVID-19 patients

PURPOSE: COVID-19 is known to present with a wide range of clinical symptoms. COVID-19-related dysphagia has been frequently investigated in patients who were critically ill and mechanically ventilated, but not in those with less severe presentations. This study aims to identify the frequency, characteristics, and severity of self-perceived oropharyngeal dysphagia in non-intubated COVID-19 patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from patients using a self-administered questionnaire that included the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10). RESULTS: The study included 359 participants with a median age of 34 (range: 18–65) years. Self-perceived dysphagia (EAT-10 total score > 2) was identified in 64.62%, and their median EAT-10 total score was 13 (range 3–40). The most prevalent symptoms were painful swallowing, affected pleasure of eating, stressful swallowing, and coughing while eating. Age, gender, and hospitalization were not statistically significantly associated with the presence of dysphagia, while re-infection, duration, and severity of COVID-19 diagnosis were. The EAT-10 total score was higher in moderate and severe COVID-19 cases as compared to mild cases, and showed a statistically significant inverse correlation with the duration of COVID-19 (r = − 0.267). CONCLUSION: Self-perceived dysphagia was prevalent in non-intubated COVID-19 patients. Its severity was related to that of COVID-19 and its duration.