Rehabilitation of Otorhinolaryngology Manifestations of COVID-19

Abstract

Otolaryngology or ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialty plays a vital role in the management of COVID-19 survivors and has been heavily involved in the pandemic, starting with research on the early symptoms of smell and taste loss to performing tracheostomy and sometimes referral to rehabilitation. The rehabilitation issues including post-intensive care syndrome, swallowing and voice problems, vertigo and hearing loss, taste and smell losses, peripheral facial palsy, and obstructive sleep apnea related to COVID-19 were discussed in this chapter. These problems can be solved within a multidisciplinary care team that includes ENT specialists, physiatrists, intensivists, rehabilitation nurses, physiotherapists, respiratory therapists, and speech-language pathologists, tailoring to the patients’ needs. Clinicians have used technology to provide telerehabilitation during the pandemic. Personal protective equipment, personal hygiene, and social isolation were the main and only measures to limit the disease. Otorhinolaryngology is one of the high-risk specialties for viral transmission. The pandemic caused a significant change in the way ENT specialists work. Rehabilitation is essential to solving some ENT problems leading to functional loss related to COVID-19 under the leadership of a physiatrist or physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist. © 2025 Springer Nature Switzerland AG.