If you’re subjected to a lot of loud sound and don’t use hearing protection, you might experience hearing loss down the road. Hearing loss may be in your future, for instance, if you work on a noisy factory floor without hearing protection. These hearing loss causes are pretty common. But there’s a new kid on the block, and you can most likely guess who it is: Covid-19.

People across the world have been ravaged by all of the many symptoms and side-effects of Covid-19, and that might include issues with hearing.

Maybe? Probably? Alright, we’re still in the early stages of really understanding Covid-19. And scientists are discovering something new about it every day. There is some research which indicates that hearing loss could be a potential side effect of Covid-19, but more research still needs to be done to back this up. So let’s take a look at where things stand right now.

So can hearing loss be caused by Covid-19?

So here’s the first thing to keep in mind: There’s utterly no evidence that the Covid-19 vaccine triggers hearing loss. All of the presently approved vaccines have this in common. That’s just not how these vaccines work, they don’t impact your ears at all. It would be like consuming a nice healthy salad and then declaring that it was the cause of your diabetes.

This goes for the brand new mRNA vaccines and the more conventional ones. Which means that the advantages of these vaccines still vastly outweigh the risks for the majority of people. Talk with your doctor and seek reputable information if you have any questions about vaccines.

Let’s talk about hearing loss now that we’ve gotten that out of the way.

So how is hearing loss triggered by Covid?

So how is hearing loss caused by this? Particularly, how does this cause sensorineural hearing loss, the kind of hearing loss that is the result of damage to your auditory system and is usually irreversible?

Well, there are a couple of theories. These theories, we should mention, aren’t always mutually exclusive. They can both be relevant!

Theory #1: inflammation

Covid-19 causes inflammation in your upper respiratory tract, and the concept is that this inflammation eventually affects your ears. After all, your nose, mouth, and ears are all linked. This may produce hearing loss in a couple of ways:

• Fluid buildup: Fluid has a more difficult time draining because inflammation has made the drainage pathways more narrow. It becomes harder and harder to hear as this fluid continues to accumulate. Once the symptoms subside, your hearing will usually return to normal (this would not be an example of sensorineural hearing loss).
• Cell damage: It’s essential to remember that viruses reproduce by hijacking your body’s own cells. The consequence is damage. And because Covid affects your vascular system, this can in some cases result in damage to the vascular connections between your brain and your ears. This would be considered sensorineural hearing loss, and would likely be effectively permanent.

When hearing loss is a result of a buildup due to inflammation, steroids can often help. Scientists are still searching for a way to prevent sensorineural hearing loss caused by cell damage. How much protection from this kind of hearing loss the vaccines will supply is unclear, but it’s better than no protection.

Theory #2: Long Covid

The second hypothesis is a bit murkier when it comes to the cause and effect, but more substantiated with regards to patients’ experience. There’s something called Long Covid which you, by now, have probably heard about.

Patients will go through symptoms of Covid when they are dealing with Long Covid, long after they have recovered from the actual virus. Sometimes, patients will experience a minor bout of Covid followed by a debilitating Long Covid experience that drags on for months (or longer). Scientists are still unsure exactly what causes Long Covid, but there’s no denying it’s a real thing.

In February of 2021, scientists published a systematic review that examined data about long-term auditory complications due to Covid-19. The review discovered that:

• 7.6% of people reported hearing impairment after getting Covid.
• Vertigo was reported by7.2% of people
• Tinnitus was reported by 14.8%

There’s certainly a connection between Long Covid and hearing problems, but it’s unknown if there’s a direct cause and effect association. Long covid seems to cause a broad constellation of symptoms, including those that affect your hearing.

Anecdote or evidence?

It’s anecdotal when somebody states that their hearing has been off since they got Covid. It’s only one person’s story. And while it’s a fact of life for them, it’s not necessarily enough for researchers to go on when devising treatment plans. That’s why research is so critical.

Scientists will be able to get a better comprehension about the hazards of Covid as they accumulate more data about how widespread these complications are.

We undoubtedly have to understand more. The link between Covid and hearing loss isn’t either proven or unproven at this time and research is ongoing. Regardless of how you developed hearing loss, however, it’s still essential that you get treatment as soon as possible. So if you think your hearing isn’t what it once was, give us a call to make an appointment.

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References

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.883749/full
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14992027.2021.1896793?journalCode=iija20&