If you’re subjected to a lot of loud sound and don’t wear hearing protection, you might experience hearing loss later in life. Hearing loss might be in your future, for instance, if you work on a loud factory floor without ear protection. These hearing loss causes are fairly common. But within the last few years, a new cause has surfaced. Yup, you guessed it, Covid-19.
That’s correct, the same disease that’s been turning the world upside down for the past couple of years may also result in hearing loss.
Maybe? Probably? Alright, we’re still in the early stages of really understanding Covid-19. And something new about it is being discovered all of the time by scientists. Some research does indicate that Covid-19 is connected to hearing loss, but that research is also somewhat preliminary and is still waiting for more information to back it up. So where is this research currently at.
Does the Covid vaccine produce hearing loss?
So here’s the first thing to keep in mind: There’s absolutely no proof that the Covid-19 vaccine leads to hearing loss. All of the presently approved vaccines have this in common. That just isn’t how these vaccines work, they don’t affect your ears at all. It would be like consuming a nice healthy salad and then declaring that it caused your diabetes.
This applies to the brand new mRNA vaccines and the more established ones. Which means that the benefits of these vaccines still vastly surpass the risks for most individuals. If you have questions about vaccines, make sure to speak with your doctor, and get answers from a reputable source.
Let’s talk about hearing loss now that we’ve cleared that up.
So, how does Covid cause hearing loss?
But, how does this trigger hearing loss? Particularly, how does it cause the type of hearing loss that is the result of damage to the auditory system which is normally permanent, known as sensorineural hearing loss?
Well, there are a couple of hypotheses. Either one of them could cause hearing loss or both together.
Theory #1: inflammation
Covid-19 causes inflammation in your upper respiratory tract, and the idea is that this inflammation eventually impacts your ears. Your ears, nose, and mouth are all interconnected, after all. This might produce hearing loss in a couple of ways:
- Fluid buildup: Inflammation can make drainage pathways narrower, making it more difficult for fluid to escape or drain efficiently. It becomes harder and harder to hear as this fluid continues to accumulate. In these cases, your hearing will usually return to normal once your symptoms subside (if this occurs, you’re not experiencing sensorineural hearing loss).
- Cell damage: It’s essential to keep in mind that viruses reproduce by taking over your body’s own cells. This can lead to damage. And because Covid impacts your vascular system, this can sometimes result in damage to the vascular links between your ears and your brain. This would be considered sensorineural hearing loss, and would most likely be essentially permanent.
Steroids are sometimes prescribed when hearing loss is related to inflammation. There’s still an ongoing effort by scientists to discover a way to prevent sensorineural hearing loss. How much protection from this type of hearing loss the vaccines will provide is unclear, but it’s better than no protection.
Theory #2: Long Covid
The second theory is a little murkier when it comes to the cause and effect, but more corroborated in terms of patients’ experience. By now, you’ve probably heard about something called Long Covid.
Patients will go through symptoms of Covid when they are dealing with Long Covid, long after they have recovered from the actual virus. Often, a debilitating bout of long Covid that lasts 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.
In February of 2021, scientists published a systematic review that examined data about long-term auditory difficulties caused by Covid-19. Here’s what the review found:
- 7.6% of people reported hearing loss after getting Covid.
- 14.8% reported experiencing tinnitus
- 7.2% of individuals reported vertigo
Whether these auditory difficulties are caused by Long Covid or just in relation to it isn’t entirely clear, but it’s safe to say there’s a relationship of some kind. Long covid seems to initiate a broad constellation of symptoms, including those that affect your hearing.
Anecdote or evidence?
It’s anecdotal when somebody says that their hearing has been off since they got Covid. It’s one individual story. When researchers are trying to come up with a treatment plan, these individual accounts, while they are part of everyday life for the individuals, aren’t enough for researchers to go on. So research is key here.
As scientists unearth more evidence that these hearing complications are fairly prevalent, they’re able to generate a clearer understanding of the hazards associated with Covid-19.
Of course, there’s still more to understand. The link between Covid and hearing loss isn’t either proven or unproven at this time and research is continuing. Regardless of how you developed hearing loss, however, it’s still important that you get treatment as soon as you can. So if you think your hearing isn’t what it once was, call us to make an appointment.
References
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.883749/full
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14992027.2021.1896793?journalCode=iija20&
