Features of Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 Patients With Dysphonia

Jerome Lechien , Carlos Chiesa-Estomba , Pierre Cabaraux , Quentin Mat , Kathy Huet , Bernard Harmegnies , Mihaela Horoi , Serge Daniel Le Bon , Alexandra Rodriguez , Didier Dequanter , Stéphane Hans (1) , Lise Crevier-Buchman , Baptiste Hochet , Lea Distinguin (1) , Younes Chekkoury-Idrissi (1) , Marta Circiu , Fahd El Afia (1) , Maria Rosaria Barillari , Giovanni Cammaroto , Nicolas Fakhry (2, 3) , Justin Michel (2) , Thomas Radulesco (2) , Delphine Martiny , Philippe Lavigne , Lionel Jouffe , Géraldine Descamps , Fabrice Journe , Eleonora M.C. Trecca , Julien Hsieh , Irene Lopez Delgado , Christian Calvo-Henriquez , Sebastien Vergez (4) , Mohamad Khalife , Gabriele Molteni , Giuditta Mannelli , Giovanna Cantarella , Manuel Tucciarone , Christel Souchay , Pierre Leich , Tareck Ayad , Sven Saussez

1 UVSQ Santé - Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines - UFR Sciences de la santé Simone Veil
2 LA CONCEPTION - Hôpital de la Conception [CHU - APHM]
3 LPL - Laboratoire Parole et Langage
4 IUCT Oncopole - UMR 1037 - Institut Universitaire du Cancer de Toulouse - Oncopole

Introduction: To explore the prevalence of dysphonia in European patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and the clinical features of dysphonic patients. Methods: The clinical and epidemiological data of 702 patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 were collected from 19 European Hospitals. The following data were extracted: age, sex, ethnicity, tobacco consumption, comorbidities, general, and otolaryngological symptoms. Dysphonia and otolaryngological symptoms were self-assessed through a 4-point scale. The prevalence of dysphonia, as part of the COVID-19 symptoms, was assessed. The outcomes were compared between dysphonic and nondysphonic patients. The association between dysphonia severity and outcomes was studied through Bayesian analysis. Results: A total of 188 patients were dysphonic, accounting for 26.8% of cases. Females developed more frequently dysphonia than males (P = 0.022). The proportion of smokers was significantly higher in the dysphonic group (P = 0.042). The prevalence of the following symptoms was higher in dysphonic patients compared with nondysphonic patients: cough, chest pain, sticky sputum, arthralgia, diarrhea, headache, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. The severity of dyspnea, dysphagia, ear pain, face pain, throat pain, and nasal obstruction was higher in dysphonic group compared with nondysphonic group. There were significant associations between the severity of dysphonia, dysphagia, and cough. Conclusion: Dysphonia may be encountered in a quarter of patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and should be considered as a symptom list of the infection. Dysphonic COVID-19 patients are more symptomatic than nondysphonic individuals. Future studies are needed to investigate the relevance of dysphonia in the COVID-19 clinical presentation.

Mots clés: Clinical; Coronavirus; Covid-19; Dysphonia; ENT; Findings; Symptoms; Voice

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Jerome Lechien, Carlos Chiesa-Estomba, Pierre Cabaraux, Quentin Mat, Kathy Huet, et al.. Features of Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 Patients With Dysphonia. Journal of Voice, 2020, 36 (2), pp.249-255. ⟨10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.05.012⟩. ⟨hal-03222531⟩