Prevalence of Dysphonia in Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of dysphonia in patients with COVID-19.

English and Persian studies that reported dysphonia in patients with COVID-19 were included. Review and case report studies were excluded. We searched Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus from January 1, 2020, to July 15, 2021. The prevalence of dysphonia was obtained by combining the results and weighing the sample sizes in the corresponding studies. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the Cochran Q test and I2

Of the 1830 articles identified, 7 studies (n=1410 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of dysphonia was 31% (%95CI: 13%-48%). The prevalence rates of dysphonia in men and women with COVID-19 were 28.2% (%95CI: 14%-46%) and 32.8% (%95CI: 22%-45%), respectively.

Because of the design of the included studies, the reliability of the results is limited. There was notable heterogeneity in the data, not because of publication bias, but rather the small sample sizes or the heterogeneity of the COVID-19 disease. About one-third of patients with COVID-19 may have dysphonia as the only symptom. Therefore, one should even be careful in approaching those who have only dysphonia.