According to foreign media reports, a new systematic review survey of published studies on the relationship between COVID-19 and hearing problems suggests that some auditory-vestibulo symptoms may be related to the disease. The review found that hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo could all be related to COVID-19. Researchers are currently conducting a one-year study to better understand the long-term effects of the disease on hearing.
Audiologists Kevin Munro and Ibrahim Almufarrij from the University of Manchester conducted a rapid systematic review of the link between COVID-19 and hearing problems for the first time last year. This quick review examines studies and case reports in the first few months of the early appearance of the pandemic.
The initial review found that in early COVID-19 cases, there were few reports of auditory-vestibule symptoms, but researchers did note that finding hearing problems may be too early and will only occur over a longer period of time. Now, a year later, the researchers have updated their system to review and found that there are now multiple reports of hearing problems.
The new systematic review includes 28 case reports and 28 cross-sectional studies . A summary data analysis showed that 7.6% of COVID-19 cases reported hearing loss, 7.2% reported vertigo, and 14.8% reported tinnitus. Both
Munro and Almufarrij have made it clear that the evidence evaluated in their latest review is based on both the anecdotal and self-reported symptoms. Therefore, it is not clear whether this emerging association has a causal relationship.
"It is important that given the high incidence of COVID-19 in the population, do not diagnose auditory-vestibule symptoms in non-existence or coincidence," Munro noted in a recent article for The Conversation. “However, the results of the review may just reflect the beginning of our understanding of this emerging health condition.”
For example, tinnitus is a symptom increasingly associated with prolonged COVID-19. In addition to patients reporting COVID-19 aggravated their original tinnitus, some believe the disease may trigger the emergence of tinnitus.
Munro proposes that tinnitus is a disease that can occur for a variety of reasons, from actual ear damage caused by noise or infection to psychological triggers such as stress and anxiety. Therefore, while there may be reasonable assumptions to demonstrate how SARS-CoV-2 directly impairs a person's hearing, he said the current quality of evidence is not sufficient to prove causality.
"It is possible that the virus attacks and damages the hearing system," Munro believes. "On the other hand, the mental and emotional stress of the epidemic may be the trigger. But we need to be careful when explaining these findings, because it is not always clear whether the study reports existing or new symptoms. What is currently lacking is a high-quality study that compares tinnitus in people with and without COVID-19."
researchers hope to fill this knowledge gap, and a year-long study is being conducted to track COVID-19 patients after discharge. Munro is leading the research and hopes that the work will provide strong insights into the relationship between hearing problems and COVID-19.
This new study was published in the International Journal of Audiology.
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