The first symptom of Covid-19 may be dizziness.
Prof. Dr. Arif ŞANLI
The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak began in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province of China. It is a highly contagious microorganism produced by a beta coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that spreads from person to person, with a reproduction number of 2.8, meaning it has created 2.8 new cases.
It is transmitted through the respiratory tract and sometimes through the feces. The infection mainly spreads (87%) in people aged 30-79 years. It usually remains asymptomatic, i.e. asymptomatic (81%) or produces only mild symptoms, although 15% of cases require hospitalization while some (3 to 4%) require respiratory support in the intensive care unit. The mortality rate has been calculated between 0.39% and 4%, but this depends on the age of the patient and is much higher in patients over 70 years of age.
The first reported doctor death related to COVID-19 in Wuhan, China was the death of an otolaryngologist on January 25, 2020. In the Wuhan epidemic statistics, 3.8% of infected cases were healthcare workers, among them 14.8% was severely ill, and the overall mortality rate was 0.6%. Covit 19 and mortality rates are high in healthcare workers in our country.
However, a significant proportion of patients do not have fever or respiratory symptoms (13-30%). The classic symptoms of infection are fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. Symptoms are rarely similar to a classic "cold" or a runny nose.
Recent reports from around the world have shown that anosmia (Can't smell) and dysgusia (ability to taste) are important symptoms associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, throat congestion, tonsil edema, enlarged neck glands and dizziness are symptoms that an otolaryngologist may encounter when examining patients with COVID-19.
Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection usually presents with fever, colds, sore throats, diarrhea and respiratory symptoms, increasing evidence indicates that infection may present with atypical symptoms such as headache, dizziness, seizures, anosmia, paralysis and impaired consciousness.
Dizziness may be the only early clinical manifestation of COVID-19 infection: A 78-year-old man presented to the emergency room in China with complaints of dizziness and unsteadiness while walking is presented as a case report. He had no other symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.
A case of vertigo has been published in Spain, possibly caused by acute vestibular neuritis (balance nerve inflammation), possibly caused by COVID-19. This was a 20-year-old Hispanic female patient presenting with persistent dizziness, nausea, and vomiting but without typical symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath.
Covid 19 can infect the central nervous system through odor and then spread to the brain and peripheral nervous system.
Corona virus has an affinity for nerve cells such as influenza virus, so it can spread through nerve cells and blood to the inner ear balance channels and hearing part, causing hearing loss, severe dizziness, nausea, vomiting and ringing, especially with sudden head movements. The COVID-19 pandemic can trigger vertigo attacks in individuals through stress, anxiety and panic attacks.
It is known that some viral infections such as corona virus infect the brain system and cause neuropsychiatric complaints affecting cognitive, emotional, behavioral and perceptual areas.
Preliminary data suggest that COVID-19 patients may experience symptoms of delirium, confusion, agitation, and altered consciousness, as well as depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
As a result, it should be kept in mind that Covit 19 may cause dizziness, hearing loss and tinnitus without any other symptoms.
