Tinnitus – or ringing in the ears – and even hearing loss may be linked to some cases of long-term COVID-19, a disturbing new study reveals.
The study found that 14.8 percent of people infected by the bug suffer from tinnitus, 7.6 percent have experienced hearing loss, and 7.2 percent have developed dizziness, the feeling of spinning.
According to Sky News, audiologists at the University of Manchester, Professor Kevin Munro, director of the Manchester Center for Audiology and Deafness, and PhD researcher Ibrahim Almufarrij, found 56 studies that identified a link between COVID-19 and auditory and vestibular problems.
The vestibular sensory system includes parts of the inner ear and brain that process information related to the control of balance and spatial orientation.
“If it’s true that anything between 7 and 15 percent has these symptoms, then we have to take that very seriously,” said Munro, who collected data from 24 studies.
“There are big implications for clinical services if it means that there could be a big increase in the number of people coming forward,” added Munro, whose findings were published in the International Journal of Audiology.
Hearing problems can be caused by multiple viruses, including measles, mumps, and meningitis, that damage sensory cells in the inner ear, but it’s unclear why COVID-19 can also cause these problems.
“Some people say the symptoms persist. There are others who say it seems to have calmed down a bit, so there are a lot of unknowns at the moment, ”Munro told Sky News.
The recent suicide of Texas Roadhouse founder and CEO Kent Taylor, who suffered from long-term COVID-19, has drawn attention to auditory problems associated with the deadly bug.
Paul Johnson, 53, who was hospitalized with COVID-19 in December, has been suffering from tinnitus ever since.
“It’s a continuous, very high-pitched whistle that you hear,” he told Sky News.
“Something I could compare it to would be if you run water through a pipe, through a valve, but you turn it a little bit so you get a kind of ‘sst’ – a whistle sound, but it’s a much higher frequency than that, ”he added.
Johnson said he first noticed the annoying noise two weeks before he was recorded and it has gotten worse.
“You notice it very much at night, when there is no noise around you, there is no sound in the background, the TV is off and you have a constant whistling noise,” he told the outlet.
“I think I would consider it manageable at the moment. I can’t say it keeps me awake, but I certainly hope it doesn’t get louder or more conspicuous, ”added Johnson.
The researchers’ data mainly used self-reported questionnaires or medical records to obtain COVID-19-related symptoms, rather than the more scientifically reliable hearing tests.
Munro suggested that tinnitus can also be caused by actual ear damage from noise or infection, or psychological triggers such as stress and anxiety.
So while there may be reasonable hypotheses showing how COVID-19 could directly damage a person’s hearing, he said the current evidence is not of sufficient quality to prove causality, New Atlas said.
“It is possible that the virus is attacking and damaging the auditory system,” he said. “On the other hand, the mental and emotional stress of the pandemic could be the trigger. But we must be careful when interpreting these findings, as it is not always clear whether studies report existing or new symptoms. What’s missing are good quality studies comparing tinnitus in people with and without COVID-19. “
They are now conducting a more detailed clinical study that they hope will accurately estimate the number and severity of coronavirus-related auditory disorders in the UK.