Prevalence of symptoms in 1512 COVID-19 patients: have dizziness and vertigo been underestimated thus far?

The relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and dizziness is still unclear. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and characteristics of dizziness and vertigo among patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Patients discharged from the emergency rooms with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 diagnos...

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Published in:Internal and emergency medicine 2022-08, Vol.17 (5), p.1343-1353
Main Authors: Aldè, Mirko, Barozzi, Stefania, Di Berardino, Federica, Zuccotti, Gianvincenzo, Consonni, Dario, Ambrosetti, Umberto, Socci, Marina, Bertoli, Simona, Battezzati, Alberto, Foppiani, Andrea, Zanetti, Diego, Pignataro, Lorenzo, Cantarella, Giovanna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Balance
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 - complications
COVID-19 - epidemiology
COVID-19 : diagnosis
COVID-19 Testing
Dizziness - epidemiology
Dizziness - etiology
Female
Humans
Im - Original
Internal Medicine
Male
management and prognosis
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Psychophysics
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Vertigo
Vertigo - complications
Vertigo - etiology
Vestibular system
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Summary:The relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and dizziness is still unclear. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and characteristics of dizziness and vertigo among patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Patients discharged from the emergency rooms with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis were assisted by daily telephone calls until nasopharyngeal swab negativization, and specific symptoms concerning balance disorders were investigated through targeted questions posed by experienced physicians. The study included 1512 subjects (765 females, 747 males), with a median age of 51 ± 18.4 years. New-onset dizziness was reported by 251 (16.6%) patients, among whom 110 (43.8%) complained of lightheadedness, 70 (27.9%) of disequilibrium, 41 (16.3%) of presyncope, and 30 (12%) of vertigo. This study analyzed in detail the prevalence and pathophysiological mechanisms of the different types of balance disorders in a large sample, and the results suggest that dizziness should be included among the main symptoms of COVID-19 because one-sixth of patients reported this symptom, with females being significantly more affected than males (20.3 vs 12.9%, P  
ISSN:1828-0447
1970-9366
1970-9366
DOI:10.1007/s11739-022-02930-0