(2024). Prevalence of Dysphonia due to COVID-19 Infection. The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 95(1), 1706-1713. doi: 10.21608/ejhm.2024.352948
. "Prevalence of Dysphonia due to COVID-19 Infection". The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 95, 1, 2024, 1706-1713. doi: 10.21608/ejhm.2024.352948
(2024). 'Prevalence of Dysphonia due to COVID-19 Infection', The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 95(1), pp. 1706-1713. doi: 10.21608/ejhm.2024.352948
Prevalence of Dysphonia due to COVID-19 Infection. The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 2024; 95(1): 1706-1713. doi: 10.21608/ejhm.2024.352948
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.
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