COVID-19 Medical News: University of Manchester Reports Of Increased Occurrences Of Hearing Loss By Recovered COVID-19 Patients
Source: COVID-19 Medical News Aug 01, 2020 4 years, 3 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 21 hours, 7 minutes ago
COVID-19 Medical News: According to a new study by audiologists from the University of Manchester, a significant number of patients reported a deterioration in their hearing when questioned eight weeks after discharge from a hospital admission for COVID-19.
The study which is supported by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Center (BRC) was published in the
International Journal of Audiology.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14992027.2020.1798519
A total of one hundred and twenty one of the adults admitted to Wythenshawe Hospital, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, took part in the survey by telephone. When asked about changes to their hearing sixteen people (13.2%) reported their hearing was worse. Eight people reported deterioration in hearing and another eight reported tinnitus (hearing noises that are not caused by an outside source).
The study results adds to a growing body of anecdotal evidence that the strain of coronavirus which causes COVID-19, SARS CoV-2, has long-term impacts on health, and possibly hearing.
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Dr Kevin Munro, a Professor of Audiology at The University of Manchester and NIHR Manchester BRC Hearing Health Theme Lead told Thailand Medical News, "We already know that viruses such as measles, mumps and meningitis can cause hearing loss and coronaviruses can damage the nerves that carry information to and from the brain. It is possible, in theory, that COVID-19 could cause problems with parts of the auditory system including the middle ear or cochlea. For example, auditory neuropathy, a hearing disorder where the cochlea is functioning but transmission along the auditory nerve to the brain is impaired could be a feature."
Individuals with auditory neuropathy have difficulty hearing when there is background noise, such as in a pub.
Another medical condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome is also linked to auditory neuropathy which is also known to have an association with SARS CoV-2.
The study team however says more research is needed to be able to identify why there is an association between the virus and hearing problems.
The study team’s observation follows a rapid systematic review of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the audio-vestibular system by Dr Munro's team in June.
The medical review identified reports of hearing loss and tinnitus, but there were only a small number of studies and the quality of evidence was low.
Dr Munro added, "While we are reasonably confident in the differentiation of pre-existing and recent changes in hearing and tinnitus, we urge caution. It is possible that factors other than COVID-19 may impact on pre-existing hearing loss
;and tinnitus. These might include stress and anxiety, including the use of face masks that make communication more difficult, medications used to treat COVID-19 that could damage the ear or other factors related to being critically ill. That is why we believe there is an urgent need for high-quality studies to investigate the acute and temporary effects of COVID-19 on hearing and the audiovestibular system. Timely evidence for decision-makers is urgently needed, so we need to be able to act quickly."
It should be noted that there are other studies that have showed that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus also “hides” in certain cavities and areas in and around the ear region.
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-covid-19-news-john-hopkins-researchers-discover-that-sars-cov-2-can-harbor-in-middle-ear-and-mastoid-region-of-the-head
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