Dysphagia and/or voice difficulties post COVID-19

QUESTION

• To what degree are people with Long COVID presenting with dysphagia and/or voice difficulties? 
• To what degree are mildly symptomatic / asymptomatic patients post COVID presenting with dysphagia and/or voice difficulties? 

SHORT ANSWER

Long COVID has not yet been well-studied and research is underway in this area. Many of the studies of dysphagia and voice difficulties are observational or prospective with small sample sizes and varying lengths of follow-up. Furthermore, the evidence for dysphagia/voice disorders in long-COVID is limited at this point. Studies mainly focus on dysphagia and voice difficulties following acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and/or the associated respiratory support interventions such as intubation and tracheostomy. The limited evidence suggests people with who have been hospitalised for COVID-19 and particularly, those who have experienced ARDS and undergone associated medical interventions, are at increased risk of dysphagia and/or voice difficulties. There is also preliminary evidence that dysphagia can be addressed through rehabilitation, therefore, reducing long-term effects. In addition, there is insufficient evidence to assess the degree to which mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic patients present with dysphagia and/or voice difficulties post COVID-19.

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The content of this document is correct as of 05/02/2021.