This discomfort when swallowing is one of the symptoms reported by people infected with the new variant of Covid-19 Omicron.
- According to Santé Publique France, the Omicron variant mainly causes fatigue, cough and fever.
- Odynophagia had previously been reported among the persistent symptoms of Covid-19.
The virus mutates and its manifestations change. With the Omicron variant, loss of taste and/or smell is less frequent, but new symptoms appear. In Journal of Internal Medicine, Swedish researchers are interested in one of them: odynophagia. This disorder causes pain when swallowing.
Bacterial or virological causes
This symptom is not unique to Covid-19. It is frequent during viral or bacterial angina, pharyngitis or epiglottitis, an inflammation of the epiglottis which generates a narrowing of the larynx and can be fatal in the absence of treatment. People with cancer of the pharynx or larynx may also be affected by this disorder. The pain occurs when food or saliva is swallowed, but there is no feeling of “blockage“.
Young and mostly vaccinated patients
In this Swedish research, the Pr Krzysztof Piersiala and his team sought to understand which people were particularly affected by this disorder among all those infected with Covid-19. The study was based on the medical data of patients who went to an emergency center dedicated to the ears, nose and throat between January 1 and 23, 2022. Of the 20 patients selected, 15 were fully vaccinated. They were all young and healthy. Four had to be hospitalized for a short time.
None of the patients suffered from epiglottitis
“Previous variants of SARS-CoV-2 infection primarily affected the lower respiratory tract and were associated with loss of smell and taste in many patients, remind the authors. The Omicron variant appears to primarily affect the upper airways and cause acute laryngitis without olfactory dysfunction.” As the symptoms can be similar to those of epiglottitis, Swedish scientists recommend that doctors perform a quick examination of the larynx to rule out any risk of inflammatory edema of the upper respiratory tract.
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