COVID-19 may also cause hearing problems
A study has found several reports of audio-vestibular symptoms associated with COVID-19 in adults having a wide range of COVID-19 symptoms. The study found multiple reports of hearing loss, including sudden hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo.
The study systematically reviewed the literature until December 2020 to provide a summary of evidence on the relation between SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 and audio-vestibular symptoms. 28 cross-sectional studies were reviewed.
Hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo
The review found seventeen case reports and one case series that reported hearing loss as a potential COVID-19 related symptom. Eleven case reports documented the onset or aggravation of tinnitus. Nine case reports mentioned rotatory vertigo.
The estimated prevalence of hearing loss, primarily based on retrospective recall of symptoms, was 7.6%. The prevalence of tinnitus was 14.8% while rotatory vertigo had a prevalence of 7.2%.
The study, "One year on: an updated systematic review of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 and audio-vestibular symptoms", was published in the International Journal of Audiology.
Sources: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and the International Journal of Audiology