| خلاصه مقاله | Objective: Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is a rapidly spreading contagious respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus. COVID-19 patients often present with respiratory symptoms and even multi-organ dysfunctions. The COVID-19 infection may present with otological manifestations such as hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and otalgia. Also, the impact of the coronavirus on the auditory system is little mentioned in the literature. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a rare symptom associated with COVID-19 infection. In the current study, a review of the studies conducted in the fields of etiopathology, clinical manifestations, research, and treatment of hearing loss caused by COVID-19 was conducted, which can be used as a baseline for future studies.
Method and materials: We performed a literature review with the following keywords: conductive hearing loss, COVID-19, hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Four different databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of science and Google Scholar) were independently screened. Publications in English were reviewed from 2000 to 2024.
Results: We reviewed a total of 15 articles. Results showed that the otological manifestations may be due to the involvement of the eustachian tube and cochlea by COVID-19 infections. Also, our findings suggest several possible mechanisms for SSNHL in COVID-19 patients. The damaging effect of the COVID-19 infection on the inner ear is a new finding which is yet to be explored.
Conclusion: We conclude that SNHL, tinnitus, and/or vertigo have been shown to occur during and following COVID-19 infection. Hearing loss in COVID-19 infection has not received much attention by health care professionals. Although hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo are not common as fever and cough in COVID-19 patients, however, auditory-vestibular symptoms significantly affect the quality of life. Additionally, the anxiety associated with COVID-19 infections may attribute to aggravation of otoneurological symptoms like tinnitus. So clinicians should be aware of the otoneurological manifestation in pediatric COVID-19 patients for early identification and management. |