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Comprehensive Otolaryngology

(177) ENT Manifestations of COVID-19 Cases in Puerto Rico, 2020-2021

Monday, October 2, 2023
2:45 PM – 3:45 PM East Coast USA Time
Disclosure(s):
Fabiola Cruz López, PhD, MPH: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Carlos González Aquino, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.


Introduction: Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) manifestations related to infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 have been reported worldwide, including headache, new anosmia and dysgeusia, sore throat, and nasal congestion. Although Puerto Rico had a robust surveillance system collecting information from all cases and publishing weekly data, a focused analysis to describe the otolaryngology manifestations associated with COVID-19 cases has not been done; thus, the objective of this study is to provide the first description and analysis of the ENT manifestations of COVID-19 cases in Puerto Rico during the first year of the pandemic.

Methods: The study design is cross-sectional, using data collected by the Municipal Case Investigation and Contact Tracing System for the COVID-19 team from the Puerto Rico Department of Health between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021. The data includes non-identifiable information of all confirmed positive and antigen-positive COVID-19 cases reported by public and private laboratories in Puerto Rico. The analysis describes the frequency of clinical manifestations and their monthly variations.

Results: A total of 140,944 COVID-19 cases were investigated during the study period, and 74.5% were symptomatic. The reported ENT manifestations and frequencies in COVID-19 symptomatic cases were headache (50.8%), nasal congestion (45.7%), anosmia and dysgeusia (41.3%), and sore throat (19.9%). Also, non-ENT manifestations reported were cough (47%), fever (43.1%), muscle aches (45%), fatigue (41%), chills (27%), diarrhea (21.9%), and dyspnea (14.8%). The frequency of headaches was consistent throughout the year, being the most common symptom of COVID-19 cases in Puerto Rico. However, other ENT manifestations have interesting monthly variations.

Conclusions: Our study represents the first epidemiological profile of otolaryngology manifestations of COVID-19 cases reported in Puerto Rico, providing the basis for developing scientific studies to understand the temporal changes in clinical profile and the long-term impact of infections.