Voice, Swallowing, Fatigue, Anxiety, and Depression in Post-COVID-19 Patients.

OBJECTIVE

To compare and relate vocal, swallowing, fatigue, and anxiety and depression variables in post-COVID-19 patients following hospital discharge, considering orotracheal intubation (OTI) history, body mass index, laryngeal impairment (LI), length of hospitalization, age, and sex.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, observational, field-based, prospective, and quantitative study.

METHODS

In total, 35 individuals of both sexes, aged between 19 and 85 years, hospitalized for COVID-19, with/without OTI-were included and assessed within 45 days of hospital discharge. The following procedures were conducted: anamnesis, otorhinolaryngological examination, and hearing screening. The following were evaluated: vocal parameters of maximum phonation time (MPT); digit reached during numerical counting; asthenia (A) and roughness (R); and swallowing parameters, including laryngeal elevation and wet voice. Self-assessment protocols included voice activity and participation profile (VAPP), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), and the functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-fatigue scale (FACIT-Fatigue). Analyses were performed with 5% significance. Appropriate tests and regressions were used, with effect sizes (r) and bootstrapped estimates (2000 resamplings).

RESULTS

Male patients, compared with females, predominantly exhibited R at grade 1 and A at grade 0; showed higher mean values for MPT with /a/, /e/, and /ė/, digit reached in numerical counting, and FACIT scores; demonstrated greater occurrence of R; and presented the following influencing factors: age impacted VAPP and HADS-D scores; the presence of LI influenced R grade; and a history of OTI influenced A grade. Female patients, compared with males, predominantly exhibited R and A at grade 0; showed higher mean scores for HADS-D and HADS-A; were influenced by the following: age affected HADS-D scores and R grade; and a history of OTI influenced A grade.

CONCLUSION

Vocal deviations, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression, may be observed in post-COVID-19 patients and are influenced by sex, age, LI, and OTI history. However, no swallowing or fatigue alterations were observed in the post-COVID-19 patients included in this study.