Is COVID-19 associated with self-reported audio-vestibular symptoms?

AlJasser, Arwa; Alkeridy, Walid; Munro, Kevin J.; Plack, Christopher J.

doi:10.1080/14992027.2021.1957161

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…However, it is important to recall that, for Type 2 and 3 symptoms, reports of auditory symptoms are similar in the COVID+ (confirmed cases) and COVID-0 groups. This is in agreement with a recent study ( 29 ) that reported similar proportions of auditory symptoms in COVID cases and non-COVID controls. Comparator groups are a fundamental design characteristic of high quality clinical trials which are lacking in the majority of studies in the systematic reviews summarized in the introduction.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Shedding Light on SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, COVID-19 Vaccination, and Auditory Symptoms: Causality or Spurious Conjunction?

Saunders¹,

Beukes²,

Uus³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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There are reports of associations between SARS-CoV2, COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccines, and auditory symptoms (hearing difficulty, tinnitus). However, most studies have relied on self-report and lack baseline and/or non-COVID control groups. This makes it problematic to differentiate if symptoms are associated with SARS-CoV2, COVID-19, the vaccine, psychosocial factors or recall bias. In this study, we differentiate these by comparing hearing and tinnitus survey data collected pre- and during the pandemic. The survey conducted during the pandemic asked about the onset and change in three types of symptom. Type One—known association (loss of smell, memory/concentration issues, persistent fatigue), Type Two—indeterminate association (auditory symptoms), and Type Three—no established association with COVID-19 (toothache). We hypothesized that if auditory symptoms are directly associated with COVID-19, their onset and change would be similar to Type One symptoms, but if indirectly associated (reflecting psychosocial factors and/or recall bias) would be more similar to Type Three symptoms. Of the 6,881 individuals who responded, 6% reported confirmed COVID-19 (positive test), 11% probably had COVID-19, and 83% reported no COVID-19. Those with confirmed or probable COVID-19 more commonly reported new and/or worsened auditory symptoms than those not reporting COVID-19. However, this does not imply causality because: (1) new auditory symptoms coincided with COVID-19 illness among just 1/3 of those with confirmed or probable COVID-19, and another 1/3 said their symptoms started before the pandemic—despite reporting no symptoms in the pre-pandemic survey. (2) >60% of individuals who had COVID-19 said it had affected their Type 3 symptoms, despite a lack of evidence linking the two. (3) Those with confirmed COVID-19 reported more Type 1 symptoms, but reporting of Type 2 and Type 3 symptoms did not differ between those with confirmed COVID-19 and those without COVID-19, while those who probably had COVID-19 most commonly reported these symptom types. Despite more reports of auditory symptoms in confirmed or probable COVID-19, there is inconsistent reporting, recall bias, and possible nocebo effects. Studies that include appropriate control groups and use audiometric measures in addition to self-report to investigate change in auditory symptoms relative to pre-COVID-19 are urgently needed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Shedding Light on SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, COVID-19 Vaccination, and Auditory Symptoms: Causality or Spurious Conjunction?

Saunders¹,

Beukes²,

Uus³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although the scores indicating tinnitus annoyance, tinnitus effect on life, tinnitus effect on sleep, and HQ scores were higher after COVID-19, the differences before-after were not statistically significant. Additionally, as stated in the current literature, the relationship between COVID-19 and the onset of auditory symptoms or worsening of the preexisting ones might depend on the negative effects of the pandemic process and, therefore, should be established with care ( 12 , 43 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 and the Pandemic on Tinnitus Patients

et al. 2022

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This study aimed to explore the effect of COVID-19 and the pandemic period on the tinnitus-related complaints of patients with chronic tinnitus. Ninety-six patients who were diagnosed with chronic tinnitus before the pandemic were enrolled in this study. Before the pandemic and in January 2022, all patients used the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) to assess tinnitus loudness, annoyance, and effect on everyday life, sleep, and concentration. Additionally, patients filled the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and the Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ). In the entire cohort, tinnitus loudness, annoyance, and tinnitus-induced difficulties with concentration as well as THI and HQ scores increased significantly during the two pandemic years. Thirty-seven tinnitus patients contracted COVID-19 between March 2020 and January 2022. These patients were asked to list leading COVID-19 symptoms, changes in tinnitus complaints during and after the disease, and whether their hearing abilities were affected. Three patients in the COVID-19 group confirmed worsening their hearing abilities. There was no decrease in the tinnitus complaint during COVID-19, 24.3% of the infected patients reported exacerbation of tinnitus, and 75.7% said tinnitus remained the same. In the COVID-19-negative group, 13.5% reported tinnitus decrease during the pandemic, 57.6% said it remained the same, and 28.8% reported exacerbation of tinnitus. When split into infected and non-infected groups, a significant increase in tinnitus loudness, tinnitus effect on concentration, and THI scores were seen only in patients who contracted COVID-19, while hyperacusis worsened significantly (p < 0.05) only in COVID-19-negative tinnitus patients. Despite significant differences within the groups, there were no differences found between the groups. This study points to possible different effects of the infection with SARS-CoV-2 and the pandemic period on patients with chronic tinnitus. It also provides evidence for deterioration of preexisting tinnitus as a possible long-term effect of COVID-19.

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“…Accordingly, a higher incidence of these conditions in 2020 than in previous years, or a higher prevalence in COVID-19 patients, might be due to the ototoxicity of some medications, and could be expected ( 16 ). However, the issue is still debated ( 18 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Tinnitus and Hearing Loss in Older Adults: Data From the LOST in Lombardia Study

et al. 2022

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BackgroundAlthough a direct relationship between tinnitus or hearing difficulties and COVID-19 has been suggested, current literature provides inconsistent results, and no research has been undertaken in older adults.MethodsIn November 2020, we conducted the LOST in Lombardia survey, a telephone-based cross-sectional study on a sample of 4,400 individuals representative of the general population aged ≥65 years from Lombardy region, Northern Italy. Individuals with diagnosed tinnitus and/or hearing loss were asked whether their conditions had improved or deteriorated in 2020 compared to 2019.ResultsOverall, 8.1% of older adults reported a diagnosis of tinnitus and 10.5% of hearing loss. In 2020 compared to 2019, among individuals with tinnitus, those with increasing severity (5.0%) were similar to those decreasing it (5.3%). Among individuals with hearing loss, more people reported an increase (13.6%) than a decrease (3.2%) in their disease severity. No individual with a diagnosis in 2020 of tinnitus (n = 6) or hearing loss (n = 13) had COVID-19. The incidence of tinnitus was lower in 2020 (rate: 14.8 per 10,000 person-years) than in previous years (rate in 1990–2019: 36.0 per 10,000 person-years; p = 0.026). There was no change in the incidence of hearing loss (p = 0.134).ConclusionsIn this large representative sample of older adults, on average neither COVID-19 confinement nor SARS-CoV-2 infection appeared to increase the severity or incidence of tinnitus. The increased severity of hearing difficulties may totally or partially be explained by physiologic deterioration of the condition, or by a misperception due to the use of face-masks.

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Is COVID-19 associated with self-reported audio-vestibular symptoms?

Cited by 17 publications

References 24 publications

Shedding Light on SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, COVID-19 Vaccination, and Auditory Symptoms: Causality or Spurious Conjunction?

Shedding Light on SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, COVID-19 Vaccination, and Auditory Symptoms: Causality or Spurious Conjunction?

Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 and the Pandemic on Tinnitus Patients

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Tinnitus and Hearing Loss in Older Adults: Data From the LOST in Lombardia Study

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