According to a meta-study by Kevin Munro, an audiology expert at the University of Manchester, and his colleague Ibrahim Almufarrij, 55 health complications have been identified as consequences of a COVID-19 infection. The most common symptoms experienced by those affected are fatigue and headaches. However, tinnitus or total hearing loss can also result from a COVID-19 infection.
How does COVID-19 affect people with tinnitus?
The study shows that, on average, 14.8 percent of COVID-19 patients report tinnitus, 7.6 percent report hearing loss, and 7.2 percent report experiencing constant dizziness. These symptoms occurred in patients with both mild and severe cases of the infection. Men are particularly affected.
Based on the study's findings, researchers believe that COVID-19 may affect the ears and the auditory system. However, the exact causes are not yet fully understood. Possible factors include the coronavirus itself, circulatory problems, or the immune system.
Hearing loss followed tinnitus
As early as April 2020, British ENT specialists described the first case of sudden and permanent hearing loss in a COVID-19 patient in the *BMJ Case Report*. At that time, a 45-year-old man with asthma was being treated in the hospital for COVID-19 when he suddenly experienced hearing loss. The patient was on mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit for 30 days until his condition improved. One week after being extubated, he developed tinnitus in his left ear. Shortly thereafter, he suffered complete hearing loss in the same ear. The patient had never experienced any ear problems before. ENT examinations revealed no blockages or inflammation in the ear. Treatment with steroid tablets and injections resulted in a partial recovery of hearing.
Chronic Stress as a Trigger for Tinnitus
An international team of researchers investigated how a coronavirus infection affects people with tinnitus. For their study, they analyzed data from 3,103 tinnitus patients in 48 countries. The result: 40 percent of those who experienced COVID-19 symptoms reported that their tinnitus had worsened. In seven cases, it was suspected that the tinnitus was triggered by COVID-19.
A German study also shows a link between COVID-19 and tinnitus. Researchers at the Tinnitus Center at the University of Regensburg believe that the increased stress levels caused by a COVID-19 infection may be the cause of tinnitus. This is because chronic stress is generally considered a trigger for tinnitus.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the perception of sounds that are not caused by acoustic signals from the environment. Almost all of us have experienced a ringing or buzzing in our ears at some point that did not come from an external sound source. Studies estimate that up to 10 million people in Germany suffer from tinnitus each year. Tinnitus is not always a permanent condition. In most cases, the bothersome noises in the ears go away on their own. However, if the annoying noises persist, this is referred to as chronic tinnitus. If this is the case, you should definitely see an ENT specialist.
How is tinnitus treated?
Acute tinnitus is often treated with the corticosteroid prednisolone to improve cellular metabolism in the auditory cells and the conductivity of the auditory pathways. If a middle ear infection is the cause of the tinnitus, doctors typically prescribe an antibiotic. Chronic tinnitus, on the other hand, is treated with hearing aids and targeted therapies. This is because hearing aids can alleviate ringing in the ears in various ways. For example, hearing aids distract patients from their tinnitus by amplifying external sounds. Other hearing aids help tinnitus patients by playing soothing sounds and white noise.
Hartmut Blum also had COVID-19 and suffered from severe hearing problems afterward. To learn how these were successfully treated, read our article “Tinnitus and Hearing Loss: Hearing Problems Caused by COVID-19.”
