Prevalence of Dysphonia due to COVID-19 Infection

Abstract

Background: A voice problem known as dysphonia has been identified as a potential adverse effect of COVID-19 infection.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of dysphonia in COVID-19 patients and the impact of his/her voice disorder upon daily activities using the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30).

Patients and methods: This prospective study was conducted on a cohort of 231 COVID-19 patients selected from the Otorhinolaryngology Department, Benha University Hospital. Patient evaluation included comprehensive history taking, physical and  local examinations, laboratory investigation, voice assessments using (VHI-30), auditory perceptual analysis and local laryngeal  examination by indirect rigid laryngoscopy.

Results: Among the enrolled patients, 46.8% were males and 53.2% were females, with a  mean age of 48.73 ± 11.58 years. The most prevalent symptoms reported were fever (93.5%), exhaustion (83.1%), and cough (76.2%).  Dysphonia was found in 37.6% of the patients, with 58.6% experiencing mild dysphonia, 28.7% moderate dysphonia, and 12.6% severe  dysphonia. The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) scores, which mean that physical VHI was 18.82 ± 4.69, mean functional VHI was 17.42 ± 3.73,  and mean emotional VHI was 14.97 ± 4.67. While mean total VHI was 36.02 ± 13.62 and the result explained the positive relation between  total mean VHI score and grade of dysphonia. The mild grade was total mean 25.49 ± 5.11, moderate grade was total mean 42.56 ± 5.3  and severe grade was total mean 61.54 ± 8.16. Our findings showed that the more severe the COVID-19 infection, the higher the scores of  total VHI-30. Laryngoscope findings revealed laryngeal mucosa congestion and edema as the most common finding (35.5%), followed  by early starting nodules (20.8%), vocal fold immobility (1%), Vocal fold polyp (haemorrhagic polyp) (1%) and normal laryngeal mucosa  (42%). The most prevalent cause of dysphonia is organic lesion (22.8%) followed by nonorganic (functional) (15.5%).

Conclusion:Our  study revealed a considerable prevalence of dysphonia among COVID-19 patients in Benha University Hospitals. The VHI scores indicated  the negative impact of dysphonia on physical, functional, and emotional aspects of patients' lives.