Hearing profile of recovered severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV2) patients

Abstract

BackgroundCoronaviruses are large, encapsulated RNA viruses that can infect both humans and animals and cause minor respiratory illnesses. In December 2019, numerous cases of pneumonia of unknown origin were reported in Wuhan, China. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the cause of these cases, was discovered on January 6, 2020. The new coronavirus was declared an epidemic by the WHO on March, 2020. Several studies on COVID-19 have found that auditory complaints and hearing impairment can be detected using various tests.ObjectivesPure tone audiometry (PTA) and transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) were used to assess hearing in recovered SARS-CoV-2 patients. Also, to compare the presence of patient's auditory complaints with the test findings.MethodsA case- control study was conducted, with each case and control group consisting of 58 people who were age and sex matched and ranged in age from 18 to 50 years. PTA, Extended PTA and, TEOAEs were used to evaluate hearing in both groups.ResultsPTA revealed a statistically significant difference in right ear thresholds at 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 4 kHz, and 8 kHz and left ear thresholds at 250 Hz, 4 kHz, 8 kHz, and 12.5 kHz between patients and controls. Additionally, a statistically significant difference in TEOAEs' overall reproducibility and amplitude between patients and controls was discovered. Affection for PTA and TEOAEs were related to the patient's complaints of hearing loss and tinnitus, respectively.ConclusionsWhether a patient is symptomatic or not, COVID-19 may have a negative impact on their hearing.