If you’re subjected to a lot of loud sound and don’t wear ear protection, you might experience hearing loss later in life. Likewise, if you work on a busy factory floor and don’t use ear protection, hearing loss might be in your future. These are pretty common and widely known causes of hearing loss. But within the past few years, a new cause has surfaced. Yup, you guessed it, Covid-19.
People all around the world have been ravaged by all of the numerous symptoms and side-effects of Covid-19, and that might include problems with hearing.
Maybe? Probably? Alright, we’re still in the early phases of really understanding Covid-19. And scientists are learning something new about it every day. Some research does suggest that Covid-19 is linked to hearing loss, but that research is also rather early and is still waiting for more data to back it up. So let’s have a look at where things stand at the moment.
So can hearing loss be triggered by Covid-19?
So, let’s get this off the table right away: The Covid-19 vaccine has never been proven to cause hearing loss. All of the presently approved vaccines have this in common. Vaccines don’t affect your ears, they just don’t work like that. It would be like blaming your diabetes on the salad you had for dinner.
This applies to the brand new mRNA vaccines and the more conventional ones. For most people, the risks are greatly outweighed by the advantages. If you have questions about vaccines, make sure to talk to your doctor, and get information from a reputable source.
Let’s discuss hearing loss now that we’ve gotten that out of the way.
So, how does Covid cause hearing loss?
So how is hearing loss triggered by this? Specifically, how does this lead to sensorineural hearing loss, the type of hearing loss that results from damage to your auditory system and is generally irreversible?
Well, there are a couple of hypotheses. Either one of them could cause hearing loss or both together.
Theory #1: inflammation
Covid-19 creates inflammation in your upper respiratory tract, and the idea is that this inflammation ultimately affects your ears. After all, your nose, mouth, and ears are all connected. This might trigger hearing loss in a couple of ways:
- Fluid buildup: Fluid has a more difficult time draining because inflammation has made the drainage channels more narrow. As this fluid accumulates, hearing becomes difficult. Once the symptoms clear up, your hearing will usually return to normal (if this happens, you’re not dealing with sensorineural hearing loss).
- Damaged cells: Remember that viruses use your body’s own cells to reproduce. The outcome is damage. In some cases, damage to the vascular connections between your ears and your brain happens because of the way Covid impacts your vascular system. This would be considered sensorineural hearing loss, and would probably be effectively permanent.
Steroids are sometimes prescribed when hearing loss is related to inflammation. Scientists are still looking for a way to prevent sensorineural hearing loss due to cell damage. How much protection from this kind of hearing loss the vaccines will provide is unknown, but it’s better than no protection.
Theory #2: Long Covid
The second hypothesis is a bit murkier when it comes to the cause and effect, but more substantiated in terms of patients’ experience. There’s something called Long Covid which you, by now, have most likely heard about.
Long Covid is a condition in which people experience symptoms from Covid long after the actual virus has left their body. Often, a debilitating bout of long Covid that drags out for months, or longer, after having Covid itself, is experienced. Scientists are still unsure exactly what causes Long Covid, but there’s no doubt it’s a real thing.
Data about long-term hearing problems was systematically reviewed by researchers and a report was published in February 2021. Here’s what the review found:
- 7.2% of individuals reported vertigo
- Tinnitus was experienced by 14.8%
- 7.6% of people reported hearing loss after becoming ill with Covid.
Whether these auditory complications are caused by Long Covid or just in relation to it isn’t entirely clear, but it goes without saying there’s some kind of relationship. A variety of symptoms, including hearing issues, come from Long Covid.
Evidence or Anecdote?
When someone talks about how they got Covid and haven’t been able to hear the same since, that’s an anecdote. It’s one individual story. When researchers are trying to develop a treatment plan, these individual stories, while they are part of everyday life for the individuals, aren’t enough for scientists to go on. So research is key here.
As scientists obtain more evidence that these hearing complications are fairly extensive, they’re able to establish a clearer understanding of the dangers involving Covid-19.
We definitely have to understand more. The link between Covid and hearing loss isn’t either proven or unproven at this point and research is ongoing. Regardless of how you developed hearing loss, however, it’s still essential that you get treatment as soon as you can. So give us a call if you think you may be developing hearing loss.
References
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.883749/full