Covid has taken over our lives for the last year and left many people with complications long after the virus has left their bodies. Here is how hearing loss might be a complication of Coronavirus…
Survivors of Coronavirus are battling many things, including cardiovascular issues, fatigue, and blood clotting disorders. In some rare cases, clinical specialists say that hearing loss is another side effect of the virus.
Michael Goldsmith is a patient who woke up in need of a hearing aid following 22 days on a ventilator.
“I had thought I was sleeping for a very long time,” said Michael Goldsmith,
Michael had limited mobility in their arms and shoulders and clots in his legs. He complained of what was described as static in his ears, which became a significant hearing impairment.
“I can hear a little, but I can’t make out any words,” said Goldsmith.
Dr. Laurie Jacobs is co-head of the COVID-19 recovery unit at Hackensack University Medical Center.
“I’ve seen not many patients complaining of hearing loss, yet we don’t have a deep understanding of this yet,” said Dr. Laurie Jacobs.
Since mid-summer, a small number of instances of hearing loss have been reported around the world.
As indicated by the International Journal of Audiology, specialists say that it is conceivable that the infection enters inner ear cells and destroys cells.
Doctors believe that this is a type of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) characterized as a gradual loss of auditory acuity by 30 dB within three days.
It is a generally typical pathology in otolaryngology, with an overall rate of 5–160 cases for each 100 000 individuals annually.
In many cases, the hearing loss aetiology isn’t confirmed, and it is ascribed to various pathologies, including viral related, cell stress reaction, and vascular occlusion.
Viruses that can cause sudden hearing loss include herpes species and cytomegalovirus. However, these are extraordinarily seen as the reason for SSNHL.
Infections, for example, mumps, measles, and meningitis can cause hearing loss. However, currently, there is limited knowledge of the effect that Covid has on the hearing framework, even as many COVID-19 patients report hearing issues.
Phonak Online Hearing Test and similar services are especially critical now, considering that 13% of COVID-19 patients have reported a change in their hearing.
Throughout the most recent months, doctors have reported many COVID 19 patients with hearing issues. It is now generally believed that the virus can affect hearing.
However, it remains unclear whether changes to hearing are straightforwardly ascribed to COVID-19 or different factors, for example, medications for treating the condition.
There is a pressing need for an in-depth clinical and demonstrative investigation to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on the inner ear framework.
Sudden hearing loss is now one of the recognized symptoms for the onset of Covid 19. In a June 2020 study, many Iranian patients reported hearing loss in one ear and vertigo.
In another report about abrupt sensorineural hearing loss and COVID-19, an Egyptian man without any other Covid symptoms experienced sudden hearing impairment and later tested positive for the virus.
Another incident that seems more typical is tinnitus and hearing loss as complications of COVID-19. This means that hearing loss may not be part of the COVID 19 symptoms but instead develops later.
In October 2020, for instance, the BMJ Case Reports published a contextual analysis of a 45-year-old British man who developed loss of hearing and tinnitus in one ear after recovering from COVID-19.
His hearing somewhat recuperated after he got steroid treatment for the condition. Apart from these reports, not much is known about COVID related hearing loss.
While it’s impossible to demonstrate that COVID-19 directly causes hearing loss, these cases prove that the virus may impact hearing before and after treatment.
There might or might not be increased cases of hearing loss after the pandemic. The specific mechanism of how this form of hearing loss happens remains obscure.
It appears likely that hearing loss will be found in patients with COVID-19 if doctors search for it carefully and at the right time.
Note: Sudden loss of hearing is a health-related crisis. Call your doctor if you experience unexpected hearing loss in one or both ears. The quicker you get treatment, the more likely you’ll get your hearing back.
