Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the ear, nose and throat (ENT) symptoms and laboratory findings of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Istanbul.

METHODS: The single-center study included 121 COVID-19 patients (55 males, 66 females; mean age 59.1±11.6 years; range, 19 to 92 years) followed up between March 15, 2020 and May 15, 2020 at the COVID-19 ward Istanbul Training and Research Hospital in Turkey. The patients were confirmed for COVID-19 with reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and asked to fill in the questionnaire about ENT symptoms. Their clinical data were gathered by reviewing electronic medical records.

RESULTS: Common symptoms included fever (74.3%, n=90), fatigue (69.4%, n=84), dry cough (68.5%, n=83) and dyspnea (61.9%, n=75). Hypertension was the most common comorbidity (50.4%), followed by diabetes mellitus (33.1%). According to lung imaging, 90% of patients showed ground-glass opacity. Compared with non-severely ill patients, severely ill patients were older (mean age 65.4±12.3 vs. 57.2±10.8 years, p<0.05), had a higher proportion of hypertension (43.4% vs. 72.4%, p=0.012) and fever. One (3.4%) of the 29 severely ill patients received invasive mechanical ventilation.

CONCLUSION: COVID-19 patients sometimes present without fever and may not have abnormal radiologic findings. Older patients or patients with comorbidities are more likely to have a severe condition. The use of glucocorticoids in treatment is still controversial and more clinical studies are needed.