Can COVID cause hearing problems?
At the SONTEC specialist audiology centre, they offer a free in-depth hearing evaluation based on which they will recommend the best solution to the problem according to your personal needs
Thursday, 20 January 2022, 17:17
COVID-19 is still a new illness that continues to pose several challenges and uncertainties. Besides other reported symptoms such as a cough, tiredness or headaches, two lesser-known signs are often overlooked: hearing loss and ear pain.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear have recently conducted a study showing that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can infect cells in the inner ear, including hair cells critical for both hearing and balance, causing hearing loss and tinnitus.
Possible routes for the virus to enter the ears include the Eustachian tube, which connects the nose to the middle ear. The virus can also escape through the nose via small openings around the olfactory nerves. This would allow it to enter the brain space and infect cranial nerves, including the one that connects to the inner ear.
This research now opens the way for work not only on SARS-CoV-2 but also on other viruses that affect hearing.
In some cases, the damage can be caused by a direct viral infection, by an autoimmune reaction leading to inflammation, or even by clots blocking the small arteries leading to the inner ear.
Hearing loss may occur as an initial symptom, but may also appear days or weeks after the onset of infection. In some patients, it occurs abruptly, which is termed sudden hearing loss.
Pain, while not generally an initial symptom of COVID-19, has been reported as a late symptom and may occur days or weeks after infection.
Some patients may be left with residual hearing symptoms, while for others they may remain for a longer period. In case of middle ear problems (fluid build-up), they resolve in a few days or weeks. However, if the damage is to the inner ear, symptoms may last much longer. In addition, other factors that can also affect hearing, such as medications or other treatments used during COVID-19 infection, must be taken into account. However, the exact duration of these problems cannot yet be known due to the limited time and lack of research.
Whatever the situation, the most important thing is to visit a professional of reference to assess the damage and enable a prompt and personalised treatment to be carried out.
SONTEC are specialists in hearing health. This independent clinic with centres on the Costa del Sol provides solutions to all hearing-related problems thanks to professional, personalised attention and the most advanced technology.
The centre has highly qualified audiologists and audiology professionals, registered in Spain and the United Kingdom, who are responsible for attending to and caring for all their clients' hearing health needs.
As part of their working methodology, the centre offers a free in-depth hearing evaluation, based on which they will recommend the best solution to the problem according to your personal needs.
More information
SONTEC
Calle Hermanos Pinzón 4, Edificio Florida II, Local 9ºA, Fuengirola.
Telephone 952 667 402.
