COVİD-19 HASTALARINDA İŞİTME KAYBI

Abstract

Objective
 Worldwide, scientists continue to follow-up on patients
 recovered from COVID-19 and have published the
 long-term persistent symptoms and permanent
 damage observed in various tissues. The present
 study aimed to evaluate hearing loss in patients
 with COVID-19 on the basis of pure tone averages
 measured using pure tone audiometry.
 Material and Method
 In this retrospective data analysis study, pure
 tone averages of non-hospitalised patients with
 COVID-19 were compared over 1 year before and
 after contracting COVID-19. Continuous variables
 were presented as mean ± Standard deviation
 (SD) and categorical variables were presented as
 number (n) and percentage (%). All data showed
 normal distribution. Therefore, paired t-test, a type of
 parametric test, was used to identify the significant
 differences between the measurements.
 Results
 The pure tone threshold values of patients increased
 significantly after COVID-19 (p0.001 for all) based on
 puretone averages measured in the bones and airways
 of theleftandrightears. Olderadults (41–64 yearsold)
 had a greater difference in puretone averages of the
 left ear airway before and after COVID-19 (p=0.040)
 than younger adults (18–40 yearsold).
 Conclusion
 COVID-19 affects both ears' bones and airways,
 causing varying degrees of hearing loss at different
 frequencies. Hearing loss tests should be included
 in COVID-19 complications research, and clinicians
 should be given advice on how to avoid hearing loss.