(Newser)
– A professor of audiology co-authored an article on COVID-19 and tinnitus that was published on Monday got a good response: about 100 emails in 24 hours, Kevin Munro, from the University of Manchester told New York Times. “Almost all of them were people who said, ‘I was very happy to read about it, because my doctor thought I was crazy when I mentioned tinnitus and now I know that I am not the only one.'” The ears are not listed by the WHO or CDC as a COVID-19 symptom (the UK NHS includes it in a long-distance symptom list), it could be one, and the possibility is getting attention following the suicide on Thursday by Texas Roadhouse CEO Kent Taylor, whose family said he took his own life after suffering “unbearable” symptoms related to COVID-19, including severe tinnitus.
THE Times look at what evidence is emerging. There’s Munro’s article for one, published Monday in the Journal of International Audiology. He reviewed the COVID-19 case reports and studies until December 2020 and found that “tinnitus was the most commonly documented audio-vestibular symptom … with an estimated prevalence of 14.8%.” That said, the authors recommended caution due to several points, including the fact that some studies rely on national tinnitus associations to reach participants. They noted that while they have found no reports of audiovestibular symptoms linked to coronaviruses previously known as SARS and MERS, other viruses such as measles and rubella are associated with hearing loss. THE Washington Post examines theories of what could be at stake, including the impact of viral inflammation on the inner ear. (Read more stories about tinnitus.)