Filenews 24 March 2021
Along with the skin symptoms of several patients with coronavirus, hearing disorders also appear to be linked to Covid-19, according to a recent study by the University of Manchester in collaboration with the Biomedical Research Centre in Manchester, Britain. The findings were published in the International Journal of Audiology.
Kevin Munro, professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Manchester and doctoral researcher Ibrahim Almufarrij analysed 56 studies that linked hearing problems to the coronavirus. They collected data from 24 of these studies. The data they mainly used were based on questionnaires or medical records on symptoms associated with Covid-19 disease, rather than on the results of reliable hearing tests.
What they found is that hearing loss in patients with coronavirus amounted to 7.6%, tinnitus to 14.8% and vertigo to 7.2%. However, Kevin Munro points out that further clinical and diagnostic study is needed to understand the long-term effects of Covid-19 disease on hearing. He is leading a major long-term study in the UK to investigate the long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 on hearing among patients who had been hospitalised. The most recent study showed that more than 13% of patients discharged from hospital reported changes in their auditory ability. The most common symptom is tinnitus.
But how do the above disorders relate to the coronavirus?
Tinnitus. It's the sensation of a sound in the ear not coming from the environment. Tinnitus infects about 17% of adults, and there is evidence that this is also one of the symptoms of so-called long or persistent Covid-19. However, the association of tinnitus with Covid-19 disease is not yet clear to scientists. It is possible that the virus also attacks hearing, but on the other hand experts do not rule out the possibility that it is the result of anxiety, since tinnitus can be created in situations of increased stress.
Hearing loss and vertigo. Hearing difficulties associated with coronavirus have been reported in a wide range of ages and severity of Covid-19. There are many reports of sudden hearing loss from one ear, which is often accompanied by tinnitus. Scientists also point out that there are some viruses such as measles, mumps and meningitis that cause disorders or even hearing loss, so SARS-CoV-2 could also cause a corresponding disorder. But it is too early to draw any conclusions.
Another symptom often reported by patients with Covid-19 is dizziness, which is often confused with vertigo due to damage to the inner ear – according to the available data, vertigo occurs in about 7% of patients with coronavirus.
Source: ygeiamou.gr
