Clinical Presentation of COVID-19: A Systematic Review Focusing on Upper Airway Symptoms

Pharyngodynia, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, smell, and taste dysfunctions could be the presenting symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The aim was to perform a systematic review of current evidences on clinical presentation of COVID-19, focusing on upper airway symptoms in order to help otolaryngologists identifying suspected cases.

We searched PubMed and Web of Science electronic databases.

We included 5 retrospective clinical studies for a total of 1556 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, 57.5% were male and mean age was 49.1 years. Pooled data revealed that pharyngodynia was present in 12.4% of patients, nasal congestion in 3.7%, and rhinorrhea was rare. No reports on COVID-19 and olfactory/gustative disorders matched inclusion criteria but preliminary evidences suggested they could be present. Common symptoms were fever (85.6%), cough (68.7%), and fatigue (39.4%). Frequent comorbidities were hypertension (17.4%), diabetes (3.8%), and coronary heart disease (3.8%); 83% of patients had alterations on chest computed tomography that were bilateral in 89.5% of cases. Ground-glass opacity was the most common finding (50%). Lymphopenia (77.2%) and leucopenia (30.1%) were common. Critical cases with complications were 9%, intensive care unit admission was required in 7.3%, invasive ventilation in 3.4%, and mortality was 2.4%.

Otolaryngologists should know that pharyngodynia, nasal congestion, olfactory, and gustative disorders could be the presenting symptoms of COVID-19. Clinical presentation together with radiological and laboratory findings could help to identify suspected cases.