Otolaryngologic Symptom Severity Post SARS-CoV-2 Infection.
Emerson Bouldin, Shelly Sandeep, Amanda Gillespie and 1 others
PMID 37068983WHAT IT FOUND
Four hundred and seventy post-COVID patients reported that hospitalization was linked to worse breathing and cough symptoms, which often lingered or worsened over a year.
Voice and swallowing problems remained mild and below clinical thresholds, regardless of how sick the patient was.
Key findings
01Hospitalized patients reported significantly higher scores for voice handicap, dyspnea, cough, and swallowing difficulty compared to those not hospitalized.
02Dyspnea and cough severity remained above clinically abnormal thresholds for hospitalized patients at all time points, even more than 12 months post-infection.
03Voice handicap scores remained below the clinical threshold for dysphonia in all groups, and swallowing symptoms were subclinical overall, though hospitalized patients reported higher severity than nonhospitalized patients.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design means symptoms were measured at one point in time, so the study cannot determine if symptoms actually worsened over time or if sicker patients simply reported more symptoms later. Hospitalization status was self-reported and used as a surrogate for disease severity, which may not capture the full clinical picture. Nonresponders may have been older, sicker, or deceased, introducing selection bias. Self-reported symptoms are subject to recall bias and may be influenced by post-COVID cognitive impairment. Sample sizes for subgroups at different time points were small, making direct comparisons difficult.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the Emory Institutional Review Board.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that intubation causes voice disorders. While intubated patients had the highest voice scores, these scores remained below the clinical threshold for dysphonia (VHI-10 > 11) in all groups. The study found no evidence of clinically significant voice handicap in any participant, regardless of severity.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →