Covid-19 disease can have a variety of long-term consequences. Various studies suggest that hearing can also be affected.
Munich – An infection with the Coronavirus can result in a variety of physical impairments. One The study lists 55 consequential damages, of which fatigue and headaches are the most common. But hearing can also be affected, with symptoms ranging from tinnitus to total loss of hearing.
Consequence of a Covid-19 infection: tinnitus and hearing loss possible
British ear, nose and throat doctors already in October 2020 in a Article in the Pharmazeutische Zeitung (PZ) describes a 45-year-old patient who had a sudden and persistent hearing loss as a result of Covid-19. This was preceded by tinnitus, which occurred in the course of treatment in the hospital.
An ENT examination showed that neither inflammation nor other possible causes had triggered the hearing loss. That is why the doctors suspect a direct connection with the SARS-CoV-2 infection. This seems plausible since the coronavirus could also affect epithelial cells in the middle ear, as has recently been demonstrated. The affected patient received steroid pills and injections, after which some of the hearing returned.
Consequences of corona disease for hearing: Apparently men are mainly affected
Now the number of case reports from corona patients whose hearing is impaired is increasing. That shows a meta-study by Kevin Munro, expert in audiology from the University of Manchester, and his colleague Ibrahim Almufarrij. In it, the two researchers summarize the data from a total of 56 studies in which the occurrence of hearing disorders in the course of a corona infection was described.
Munro and Almufarrij published the result in the International Journal of Audiology. According to this, an average of 14.8 percent of Covid 19 patients report Tinnitus, 7.6 percent about hearing loss and 7.2 percent about dizziness. The hearing disorders occurred in patients with both mild and severe courses. Men were particularly affected.
According to the researchers, the result suggests that Covid-19 can affect the ears and hearing system. However, the causes have not yet been conclusively researched, the virus itself, circulatory disorders or that are possible immune system.
Higher stress level due to the corona pandemic: Existing tinnitus can be made worse
An international team with researchers from England, Belgium, the USA, the Netherlands, Sweden and India has dealt with the question of how How coronavirus infection affects people with tinnitus. For their study they evaluated the data of 3103 tinnitus patients from 48 countries. 40 percent of those suffering from Covid-19 symptoms said their tinnitus had also gotten worse. Seven people also suspected that the tinnitus was only triggered by Corona. The researchers concluded that there is a connection that deserves further investigation.
A German study also shows a connection between Covid-19 and tinnitus. Researchers at the Tinnitus Center at the University of Regensburg assume that an increased level of stress triggered by the coronavirus pandemic can be the cause of the increase in tinnitus symptoms. Constant stress is considered a tinnitus trigger that can intensify or even trigger it. On the other hand, people who were more relaxed in connection with the Corona crisis show less stress from tinnitus.