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CC BY 4.0 · Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1777805
Systematic Reviews

Persistent ENT Manifestations in Individuals who Recovered from COVID-19: A Systematic Review

Akriti Sharma 
1   Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat, SGT Medical College, Hospital, and Research Institute, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
,
Rohit Kumar Jakhar
1   Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat, SGT Medical College, Hospital, and Research Institute, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
,
Vikas Kakkar
1   Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat, SGT Medical College, Hospital, and Research Institute, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
,
Garima Singal 
1   Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat, SGT Medical College, Hospital, and Research Institute, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
› Author Affiliations Funding The authors declare that they have received no financial support from agencies in the public, private or non-profit sectors for the conduction of the present research.
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Abstract

Introduction Long coronavirus disease (COVID) refers to the persistence of symptoms long after the recovery from the acute phase of the illness, and it is due to the interplay of various inflammatory mechanisms. This has led to emergence of new deficits, including otorhinolaryngological symptoms, in patients wo have recovered from COVID. The plethora of otorhinolaryngological symptoms associated with long COVID are tinnitus, sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), vertigo, nasal congestion, sinonasal discomfort, hyposmia/anosmia, dysgeusia, sore throat, dry cough, dyspnea, dysphagia, and hoarseness of voice.

Objective To evaluate the possible ENT symptoms in patients wo have recovered from COVID and to combine those findings with our experience.

Data Synthesis We conducted a search on the PubMed, ENT Cochrane, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, and a total of 44 studies were selected for the present review.

Conclusion Otorhinolaryngological complications such as tinnitus, SNHL, vertigo, nasal congestion, sinonasal discomfort, hyposmia/anosmia, dysgeusia, sore throat, dry cough, dyspnea, dysphagia, and hoarseness of voice have been widely reported among in long-COVID patients.

Keywords

long COVID - SARS-CoV-2 - otorhinolaryngological manifestations


Publication History

Received: 18 May 2023

Accepted: 12 November 2023

Article published online:
15 March 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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