Pure-tone audiometry without bone-conduction thresholds: using the digits-in-noise test to detect conductive hearing loss

Purpose The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine if there is a potential link between COVID-19 infection and hearing loss. Methods The prospective study was conducted in the COVID Hospital Clinical Centre Niš, Serbia. We performed tonal audiometry and used a custom questionnaire and medical histories to determine the incidence of hearing loss in COVID-19 positive patients. Results There were 74 patients with COVID-19 that met the inclusion criteria of this study and they composed our experimental group. Fifty-four (73%) were men and 20 (27%) women. There were 30 (40.5%) patients with hearing loss. Seventeen patients had unilateral and 13 had bilateral hearing loss. Significant differences between hearing loss groups and control group were found across all age groups, but not at all frequencies. No important differences were found when unilateral hearing loss and bilateral hearing loss groups were compared. There were no significant differences in distributions of comorbidities between the patients with hearing loss and normal hearing patients. Conclusions We found that 30 (40.5%) of the COVID-19 positive patients had sensorineural type of hearing loss. Across all age groups, there were statistically significant differences in frequencies between the COVID-19 positive patients and the control group. There were no significant differences in distributions of comorbidities between the patients with hearing loss and normal hearing patients. Distribution of unilateral and bilateral hearing loss and audiogram types was also not significantly different between the age groups.

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“…The difficulties in acquiring adequate audiometry in bedside conditions are already mentioned in literature [ 18 , 19 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 caused hearing loss

Milisavljević

Milan

Nikola

2021

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol

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“…The predominant patient caseload for hearing healthcare is the elderly, who are at the highest risk of COVID-19 mortality and morbidity. Furthermore, the clinic-based settings for audiology services are high-risk settings for infection due to factors such as confined clinic spaces, equipment setup, and duration of consultations (De Sousa et al 2020).…”

Section: Guest Foreword: Connected Technologies In Hearing Healthcare's Own Fourth Industrial Revolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Connected hearing healthcare: shifting from theory to practice

Glista

Ferguson

Muñoz

et al. 2021

International Journal of Audiology

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“…Already, remote care has become more mainstream due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has provided an unprecedented impetus to develop and employ hearing health solutions that reduce physical contact (De Sousa et al, 2020;Swanepoel & Hall, 2020). This situation has demonstrated that clinicians can adapt if appropriate benefits are clear; for example, keeping practice doors open.…”

Section: The Role Of Computational Audiology In Personalized Hearing mentioning

confidence: 99%

Computational Audiology: New Approaches to Advance Hearing Health Care in the Digital Age

Wasmann¹,

Lanting²,

Huinck³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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The global digital transformation enables computational audiology for advanced clinical applications that have the potential to impact the global burden of hearing loss. In this paper we describe emerging hearing-related artificial intelligence applications and argue for their potential to improve access, precision and efficiency of hearing health care services. In addition, we raise awareness of risks that must be addressed to enable a safe digital transformation in audiology. We envision a future where computational audiology is implemented via open-source models using interoperable shared data and where health care providers adopt new roles within a network of distributed expertise. All of this should take place in a health care system where privacy, the responsibility of each stakeholder and, most importantly, the safety and autonomy of patients are all guarded by design.

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Pure-tone audiometry without bone-conduction thresholds: using the digits-in-noise test to detect conductive hearing loss

Cited by 28 publications

References 29 publications

COVID-19 caused hearing loss

COVID-19 caused hearing loss

Connected hearing healthcare: shifting from theory to practice

Computational Audiology: New Approaches to Advance Hearing Health Care in the Digital Age

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