Ringing Sensation in the Ear (Tinnitus) Worsens During COVID-19 Pandemic

Patients with tinnitus (a ringing sensation in the ear) have reported that during this pandemic their hearing condition is worsening.

Hearing specialists commented that this may be due to stress or changes in the patient’s normal routine. It is also observed that many COVID-19 patients have developed tinnitus after their recovery. This is suggestive of tinnitus and hearing problems as a “long term COVID-19 symptoms” that last even after recovery.

Dr.Eldre Beukes of the Vision and Hearing Sciences Research Centre at Anglia Ruskin University in the U.K. and Lamar University in Beaumont, Texassaid, ”There is a complex two-way interaction that exists between tinnitus and emotional distress, as they can trigger or worsen each other. Initially, we didn't consider that contracting COVID-19 may cause tinnitus or hearing loss. This finding was unexpected, but other research is now reporting similar findings.”

Dr Beukes & team surveyed about 3,100 people with tinnitus from 48 different countries in UK and US. They also questioned the patients regarding the severity of tinnitus in the lockdown as well as the factors that could influence the condition (such as social distancing, COVID-19 symptoms, pandemic related stress and coping strategies.)

One third of the patients enrolled in the study complained that tinnitus worsened this year as their work and lifestyle routines changed.

The shift seemed to vary by country, with 46% of people in the U.K. saying lifestyle changes affected their tinnitus, compared to 29% of those in the U.S. who reported negative shifts.

The study showed that women over the age of 50 were likely to complain of tinnitus worsening this year. Patients with tinnitus also faced difficulties in accessing healthcare for their condition which resulted in increasing hearing issues and hence greater emotional stress.

237 COVID-19 patients were studied and 40% of them stated their tinnitus worsened and remained in some cases even after recovery.

A 52 year old UK woman and 36 year old man from Netherlands had mentioned that they didn’t experience tinnitus before, but after the COVID-19 infection they experienced it.

But the study does not have complete data about patients who did not have a history of tinnitus & experienced it after infection with Coronavirus.

"We know that viruses, such as mumps and measles, can damage the ear, so it is certainly possible that SARS-CoV-2 could damage the ear," said Dr. Kevin Munro of the University of Manchester in the U.K.

DR Munro stated, ”Interestingly, there have been quite a few recent reports of sudden hearing loss in people with COVID-19. More than 1 in 10 are now reporting a change in hearing and tinnitus" several weeks after hospitalization”



Source-Medindia