Khanna SK, Maheshwari S, Bayad HC, Adersh MK, Rajput NS. The Role of Otorhinolaryngological Manifestations of Mild Covid-19 Disease in Hilly Terrain: Lessons Learnt at a Secondary Care Hospital.
Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2022;
74:3337-3343. [PMID:
36267490 PMCID:
PMC9568902 DOI:
10.1007/s12070-022-03174-2]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
We conducted the study to find the prevalence of ENT symptoms amongst mild Covid-19 patients from the hilly region of North India and attempted to propose a solution to curb the spread of Covid-19 through early identification, isolation, and treatment. A retrospective, cross-sectional study at a secondary healthcare center in a hilly region of North India covered 423 mildly symptomatic Covid-19 patients from April 2020 to March 2022. These patients were telephonically contacted or called in person at the outpatient department to answer a preset questionnaire with various parameters such as age, gender, ENT symptoms, and time to recover. The data obtained were statistically analyzed. 207 out of 423 mild Covid-19 patients complained of different ENT symptoms. Cough was the most common ENT symptom and was reported by 162 patients. Dizziness was the least common ENT symptom and was reported by 9 patients. Recovery time for tinnitus was maximum (persistent till six months in 5 patients). A high index of suspicion for Covid-19 disease in patients with ENT symptoms must be practiced. As the Covid-19 restrictions are gradually relaxed, widespread community education for strict adherence to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour and sensitization of General Practitioners a well as Otorhinolaryngologists regarding the importance of ENT symptoms in mild Covid19 disease will play a pivotal role in the early identification, isolation, and treatment of mild Covid-19 disease, which eventually may curb the future waves.
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