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Título

PREVALENCE OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE SYMPTOMS RESULTING FROM COVID-19 OVER TIME IN A 2-YEAR CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN RIO DE JANEIRO

Resumo

INTRODUCTION: The emergence of the disease known as COVID-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, was reported in China in 2019. It spreads rapidly and devastatingly around the world, infecting people in mild, moderate and severe ways. It is known that the virus uses the receptors of the enzyme angiotensin 2 (ACE2), which is present in various organs of the human body (lungs, brain, kidneys, heart), as an entry into cells, allows us to understand the diversity of symptoms of this infection. Although the main symptoms of this respiratory syndrome are cough, fever, dyspnea, which are marked factors for the severity of the condition, other speech and language symptoms can occur, such as: dysphonia, dysphagia, hypoacusis and chemosensory changes over time, as markers of symptoms of COVID-19. OBJECTIVES: Identify the prevalence of speech-language symptoms resulting from COVID-19 infection over time. METHODS: This is a 2-year-long cross-sectional, quantitative and descriptive study. Patients with CoVID-19 infection by PCR, rapid test or serology, of both genders, living in the State of Rio de Janeiro, selected by convenience, participated in the study. To determine the prevalence of speech-language symptoms, the questionnaire was designed by the author and applied electronically through Google Forms. It is composed of 10 open and closed questions, classified according to the presence of the symptom and its duration, focusing on the evaluation of the symptomatologic report. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0 version. RESULTS: A total of 403 patients were included in the study. Median age was 37 (interquartile range (IQR) 19-77) years; 328 patients (81,4%) were female. Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction were the most frequently reported, followed by vocal and cognition impairment (80,9%, 73,7%, 28,0% and 23,8% respectively). The median duration of ageusia and anosmia were 58 (IQR 1-695) and 76 (IQR 1-695) days, respectively. Median duration of cognitive impairment was 173 (IQR 5-820) days. Standing out 18,4, 14,1% and 11,7% of the sample that kept Gustatory, Olfactory and Cognitive Dysfunction for more than 3 months. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of speech-language symptoms resulting from COVID-19 infection is high, highlighting the changes in smell and taste with varied durability. More studies are needed, especially regarding the impact of these changes on the quality of life of patients.

Palavras Chave

COVID-19. PREVALENCE. SPEECH-LANGUAGE SYMPTOMS