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Covid-19 can cause sudden and permanent hearing loss, experts have found, adding that such problems need early detection and urgent treatment.
The coronavirus has been found to affect the body in myriad ways, from loss of taste and smell to organ damage.
Now, doctors have reported new evidence that Covid could also affect hearing.
In an article in the journal BMJ Case Reports, experts from University College London report on the case of a 45-year-old man with asthma who was admitted to intensive care with Covid, was ventilated and received drugs such as the antiviral remdesivir and intravenous steroids.
A week after leaving intensive care, he developed a ringing (tinnitus) and then hearing loss in his left ear.
The team says none of the drugs the man was given would be expected to damage his hearing, while he had no problems with his ear canals or eardrums. Further research showed no signs of autoimmune problems, while he did not have the flu or HIV, conditions previously linked to hearing loss. Furthermore, the man had never had hearing problems before.
Later tests revealed that the man had sensorineural hearing loss in his left ear, a situation in which the inner ear or the nerve responsible for sound is inflamed or damaged. This was treated with steroids with partial success.
The case is the first such incident to be reported in the UK, although a small number of similar reports have emerged from other countries.
Study co-author Dr. Stefania Koumpa said that it is not yet known how Covid could cause hearing loss, but there are possible explanations.
“It is possible for the Sars-Cov-2 virus to enter the cells of the inner ear and cause cell death, and / or cause the body to release inflammatory chemicals called cytokines that can be toxic to the inner ear,” he said. “Steroids are likely to help reduce inflammation and therefore cytokine production.”
The team says that Covid patients in intensive care should be asked about hearing loss and referred for emergency treatment.
“Even one-sided hearing loss has huge consequences on quality of life, if not treated promptly,” Koumpa said.
Kevin Munro, a professor of audiology at the University of Manchester, who was not involved in the work, said that other viruses, including measles and mumps, are known to affect hearing, while large numbers of Covid survivors have been contacted him. a change in your hearing or tinnitus.
His team’s work previously found that 16 of 121 patients admitted to the hospital with Covid, and who completed a survey, reported hearing problems about two months after discharge.
Munro said his team is now investigating the prevalence and causes of such problems, noting that it is unclear if they are due to the virus itself, the immune system response, stress, or even the treatments for Covid, or if they simply could. be hard of hearing. they are evident in a noisy hospital where people wear masks.
“I think there are probably many explanations for why people reported problems,” he said.
