As researchers continue to unravel the myriad of health problems that people face after having COVID-19, tinnitus and hearing loss are emerging as possible bothersome symptoms for some.
Tinnitus – marked by a ringing, ringing or hissing in one or both ears – in particular, made headlines when Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain executive Kent Taylor recently died of suicide after suffering from post-COVID symptoms, including severe tinnitus. There is also new research published in the International Journal of Audiology, who analyzed data from 24 different studies and found an association between COVID-19 and hearing problems. The researchers estimated that almost 15% of people infected with COVID experienced tinnitus, almost 8% reported hearing loss and more than 7% developed rotational vertigo, which makes patients dizzy as if they were on a merry-go-round.
Co-author of the study, Kevin Munro, Ph.D., professor of audiology at the University of Manchester, UK, told Yahoo Life that the study shows “the long-term health consequences of COVID can be very broad and extend well beyond a respiratory illness. ”While Munro points out that“ we need a definitive study to confirm ”the results of the research, he says this is the“ best estimate of prevalence ”of hearing problems after having COVID-19.
However, Deyanira Gonzalez, an audiologist at Baylor College of Medicine, told Yahoo Life that tinnitus and hearing loss directly associated with COVID-19 have been “rare” – although the development of hearing problems after certain illnesses, including measles, mumps and meningitis, do not be unknown to. “Many viral infections can result in hearing symptoms, such as hearing loss and tinnitus,” says Gonzalez. “However, our understanding of the relationship between viral infections like COVID-19 and the auditory system is evolving. At this point, the degree to which hearing loss and tinnitus are a direct result of COVID-19 is unclear. “
Gonzalez explains that “patients who come to our office reporting tinnitus and hearing loss in association with COVID-19 expressed a little variability in the severity of the tinnitus or in the duration after it was noticed. In our experience, not everyone who received COVID-19 reported hearing loss or tinnitus, so it is difficult to determine whether these symptoms were really the result of COVID-19 or other factors. “
How COVID-19 can affect hearing
COVD-19 patients may develop tinnitus or other auditory symptoms because of “dysregulation of the immune system due to the virus entering the neural pathways”, says Gonzalez, while Munro explains that “some viruses damage the delicate sensory cells in the ear and / or the auditory nerve. “Munro adds:” For some people, it may not be damage caused by the virus, but related to other factors, such as changes in lifestyle. “
How long patients with COVID experience tinnitus also varies. “Some have reported that tinnitus is short-lived, but symptomatic, [and] others have reported tinnitus for weeks to months after COVID-19, ”says Gonzalez. However, Gonzalez points out that not all people with COVID-19 experience tinnitus and “it can be difficult to determine whether the tinnitus was actually a result of COVID-19 or other factors, such as existing hearing loss, noise exposure, ear fluid medium, etc. Because of these other factors, the research data has not been successful in truly identifying COVID-19 as a factor that can cause permanent tinnitus. “
It is important to note that the tinnitus itself is “incredibly common,” said Dr. Maura Cosetti, director of the Cochlear Implant Center at the Mount Sinai New York Eye and Ear Infirmary Ear Institute, to Yahoo Life, affecting about 50 people. millions of Americans. Therefore, it is also possible that patients may have had some underlying hearing loss and “COVID is perhaps an exacerbation of that,” says Cosetti.
Bmore treatment options for tinnitus and hearing loss
If you are dealing with tinnitus or hearing loss, whether or not you are infected with COVID-19, the first step is to be evaluated by a doctor. That’s because “simple things can also cause tinnitus, like earwax build-up,” says Cosetti. “Getting an assessment can be helpful because there are some cases where wax is introduced into your ears because of the headphones,” many of us use during the day for video calls to work or school. Or there may be a structural abnormality in the ear. “Do an ear exam to make sure it is not an immediately identifiable cause,” suggests Cosetti.
The next step is to do a hearing test. “Most people do not experience hearing loss as a hearing loss,” says Cosetti. “They feel that something is blocking their ear or they feel tinnitus, which is the result of damage to the inner ear. Some of these cells in the auditory nerve are giving off a kind of alarm – they are going off. This is often the experience of hearing loss. You may not be having ‘hearing loss’ to say the least. “
Other factors that can lead to tinnitus include exposure to noise, middle ear infections, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) or certain medications, explains Gonzalez. “If there is a sudden onset of tinnitus or hearing loss, it is highly recommended to see an otolaryngologist, as treatment with steroids may be appropriate,” says Gonzalez.
Cosetti points out that there is a link between tinnitus and depression and anxiety, and says that “there is good evidence” that treating depression and anxiety can help with the hearing problem. Along with tinnitus retraining therapy, most tinnitus treatments involve cognitive-behavioral therapy, which “focuses on reducing the perception of tinnitus and also on your reaction to it,” says Cosetti. This can be combined with other methods, including sound “masking” – that is, using white or pink noise machines and apps, or sleeping with the fan on – to reduce tinnitus noise, especially at night, when silence can make the most noticeable condition. Yoga, meditation and mindfulness practice can also be “very effective,” says Cosetti.
But if hearing loss does not respond to medical treatment, Gonzalez says: “We often recommend using hearing aids, bone fixation implants or cochlear implants.”
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call 911, or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Read more on Yahoo Life:
Do you want to receive lifestyle and wellness news in your inbox? Sign here for the Yahoo Life newsletter.