Hearing loss and tinnitus among pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection

Abstract

Background: Hearing impairment and tinnitus are common otological manifestations found in the outpatient Department of Otorhinolaryngology. Hearing loss and tinnitus have been documented among coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients. However, these clinical manifestations were rarely investigated among pediatric patients with COVID-19 infections. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of hearing impairment and tinnitus among children with COVID-19 infection at a teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective and descriptive study where 192 children with COVID-19 infections were evaluated for hearing loss and tinnitus. There were 44 (22.91%) children with COVID-19 infections presenting with hearing loss and tinnitus. All of the children were confirmed as COVID-19 infection with the help of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of the nasopharyngeal swab. Detailed history taking and clinical examination of the ear were done for the assessment of hearing loss and tinnitus and its outcome was analyzed. Results: Out of 44 children, 20 (45.45%) were presented with tinnitus, 16 (36.36%) were presented with hearing loss, and 8 (18.18%) were presented with both hearing loss and tinnitus. Out of 44 pediatric patients with hearing loss and/or tinnitus, 26 (59.09%) were males and 18 (40.90%) were females with a male child to female child ratio of 1.44:1. The mean age of the participants was 9.16 years with an age range from 5 to 18 years. The sporadic type of tinnitus is more common than any other type. Conclusion: This study showed that the presence of subjective neurological features like hearing loss and tinnitus can be found in children with COVID-19 infection. More studies are required to confirm the exact pathophysiology mechanism underlying this subjective symptom in pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection.

Audiological and vestibular symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 5–11 years

“…A study by Tufatulin et al that evaluated 87 children in three cities in Russia found no cases of hearing loss or central auditory processing disorders after SARS-CoV-2 infection [18] . Conversely, Swain et al reported that among 192 children with COVID-19, 20 (10.4 %) presented with tinnitus, 16 (8.3 %) with hearing loss, and 8 with both hearing loss and tinnitus (4.2 %) [19] .…”

“…The present study assessed the prevalence of audiological and vestibular symptoms following SARS-COV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination among children aged 5–11 years who attended a third-level referral audiological center. While several studies have described audio-vestibular disorders, such as sudden sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo, as possible manifestations following SARS-CoV-2 infection [11] , [12] and COVID-19 vaccines in adults [13] , [14] , [15] , there are very few reports concerning the pediatric population [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] .…”

The short-term effect of COVID-19 on the cochleovestibular system in pediatric patients

“…In studies conducted with pure tone audiometry in adult patients, it was stated that SARS-CoV-2 might play a role in the etiopathogenesis of hearing loss [ 18 ]. Swain et al conducted a study in which they evaluated 192 cases of COVID-19, and reported hearing loss in 24 (12.5%) patients [ 25 ]. COVID-19 patients presenting with sudden hearing loss have also been reported.…”

Self-reported tinnitus in pediatric age group: our experiences at a tertiary care teaching hospital in eastern India

“…The subjective tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of external stimulus and is heard only by the individual whereas the objective tinnitus is the generation of sound near the ear that is heard by the examiner with help of a stethoscope. 9 Subjective tinnitus is common in clinical practice and occurs with almost any ear disease. Objective tinnitus is uncommon and often occurs by turbulent blood flow or by spontaneous contractions of the middle ear muscles or soft palate or middle ear.…”