You might develop hearing loss as you get older, particularly if you regularly expose yourself to loud noise. Hearing loss might be in your future, for instance, if you work on a noisy factory floor without ear protection. These are pretty common and well known causes of hearing loss. But within the past 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 last couple of years might also result in hearing loss.
Maybe? Probably? Okay, Covid-19 is still an extremely new virus. And something new about it is being identified all of the time by scientists. Some research does suggest that Covid-19 is linked to hearing loss, but that research is also somewhat early and is still waiting for more information to back it up. So where is this research currently at.
Does the Covid vaccine cause hearing loss?
So here’s the first thing to bear in mind: There’s utterly no evidence that the Covid-19 vaccine leads to hearing loss. That’s true for all of the presently approved and available vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna to Novovax. Vaccines don’t impact your ears, they just don’t work that way. It would be like blaming your diabetes on the salad you had for dinner.
This goes for the brand new mRNA vaccines and the more established ones. For the majority of people, the risks are vastly exceeded by the benefits. If you have questions about vaccines, be certain to speak with your doctor, and get answers from a reputable source.
Okay… with that off the table, let’s discuss hearing loss.
So how is hearing loss triggered by Covid?
So how is hearing loss triggered by this? Specifically, how does it cause the type of hearing loss that is the result of damage to the auditory system which is usually permanent, known as sensorineural hearing loss?
Scientists have a couple of hypotheses. Either one of them could cause hearing loss or both together.
Theory #1: inflammation
Covid-19 produces inflammation in your upper respiratory tract, and the theory is that this inflammation eventually affects your ears. Your ears, nose, and mouth are all interconnected, after all. This might cause hearing loss in a couple of ways:
- Fluid buildup: Fluid has a more difficult time draining because inflammation has made the drainage pathways more narrow. It becomes more and more difficult to hear as this fluid continues to accumulate. In these situations, your hearing will usually go back to normal once your symptoms subside (if this occurs, you’re not experiencing sensorineural hearing loss).
- Damaged cells: It’s important to remember that viruses reproduce by taking over your body’s own cells. This can result in damage. And because Covid impacts your vascular system, this can in some cases cause damage to the vascular connections between your ears and your brain. This would be considered sensorineural hearing loss, and would likely be effectively permanent.
Steroids are sometimes prescribed when hearing loss is caused by inflammation. There’s still an ongoing effort by scientists to discover a way to prevent sensorineural hearing loss. It’s not clear, based on this research, just how much protection vaccines give you against this type of damage, but it seems obvious that it’s better than no protection.
Theory #2: Long Covid
The next theory is more significant when it comes to patients’ experience, but a little less understood with regards to cause and effect. There’s something called Long Covid which you, by now, have probably heard about.
People will go through symptoms of Covid when they are experiencing Long Covid, long after they have recovered from the actual virus. Often, a debilitating bout of long Covid that drags out for months, or longer, after having Covid itself, is experienced. Scientists are still unsure just what causes Long Covid, but there’s no doubt it’s a real thing.
In February of 2021, researchers published a systematic review that evaluated data about long-term auditory problems due to Covid-19. Here’s what the review discovered:
- Tinnitus was reported by 14.8%
- 7.6% of people reported hearing loss after getting Covid.
- Vertigo was reported by7.2% of people
There’s certainly a link between Long Covid and hearing problems, but it’s not known if there’s a direct cause and effect relationship. Long covid seems to initiate a broad constellation of symptoms, including those that affect your hearing.
Anecdote or evidence?
When somebody talks about how they got Covid and haven’t been able to hear the same since, that’s an anecdote. It’s one single story. When scientists are trying to come up with 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 critical here.
As researchers unearth more evidence that these hearing difficulties are fairly prevalent, they’re able to establish a clearer understanding of the risks associated with Covid-19.
We certainly have to learn more. The connection between Covid and hearing loss isn’t either proven or unproven at this point and research is ongoing. No matter how your hearing loss develops, however, it’s still essential that you get treatment as soon as you can. So if you suspect your hearing isn’t what it used to be, give us a call to schedule an appointment.
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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&
