RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Clinical otorhinolaryngological presentation of COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia
JF Saudi Medical Journal
JO Saudi Med J
FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City
SP 266
OP 274
DO 10.15537/smj.2022.43.3.20210501
VO 43
IS 3
A1 Laila M. Telmesani
A1 Danah H. Althomaly
A1 Lamia A. Buohliqah
A1 Roa T. Halawani
A1 Mona M. Ashoor
A1 Marwan J. Alwazzeh
A1 Suad A. Al Mubarak
A1 Maha A. AlHarbi
A1 Rana F. AlMuslem
A1 Sahal S. Arabi
A1 Waleed E. Saleh
A1 Amal Y. ALYosif
A1 Mohammad R. Al Eid
A1 Lena S. Telmesani
A1 Abdulaziz S. AlEnazi
YR 2022
UL http://smj.org.sa/content/43/3/266.abstract
AB Objectives: To assess the otorhinolaryngological (ORL) symptoms, including their prevalence, severity, and early presentations among coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) patients in the Saudi population.Methods: This was a multicentric, cross-sectional study carried out on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 positive patients at 3 COVID-19 centres; Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, King Fahd Hospital of the University, ALKhobar, Qatif Central Hospital, AlQatif, and Ohud Hospital, Al Madinah Al Munawarah, Saudi Arabia. The validated survey consisted of sociodemographic data, general symptoms of COVID-19, and ORL manifestations.Results: A total of 1734 COVID-19 positive patients were included in the study (mean age: 37.7±11.6 years). Most of the cases were mild (51.8%), followed by moderate (45.6%), and severe (2.6%) cases. Approximately 33.7% were asymptomatic. Severity of symptoms was significantly associated with male gender (p=0.017), higher age-group (p=0.04), and smoking (p<0.001). The most common initial ORL presentations were sore throat (20.9%), anosmia (15.5%), hyposmia (10%), and loss of taste (11.4%). Overall, 79.5% showed ORL symptoms as the initial presenting symptoms for COVID-19, with anosmia and sore throat being the most common symptoms.Conclusion: This study confirmed the prevalence of ORL symptoms among COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, these symptoms could also be considered for early detection of COVID-19 as they might appear prior to other symptoms.