You might develop hearing loss as you get older, particularly if you frequently expose yourself to loud noise. Likewise, if you work on a busy factory floor and don’t wear ear protection, hearing loss might be in your future. These are fairly common and well recognized causes of hearing loss. But there’s a new fighter in the ring, and you can most likely guess who it is: Covid-19.
That’s correct, the same disease that’s been turning the world upside down for the last couple of years may also lead to hearing loss.
Maybe? Probably? Alright, we’re still in the early phases of actually understanding Covid-19. And scientists are learning something new about it all the time. Some research does indicate that Covid-19 is connected 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 remember: The Covid-19 vaccine has never been proven to cause hearing loss. All of the currently approved vaccines have this in common. That’s just not how these vaccines work, they don’t impact your ears at all. It would be like blaming your diabetes on the salad you ate for lunch.
This is true of both the established vaccines and the new mRNA vaccines. For most people, the risks are vastly exceeded by the benefits. If you have questions about vaccines, make sure to speak with your doctor, and get answers from a reputable source.
Let’s discuss hearing loss now that we’ve gotten that out of the way.
So how is hearing loss triggered by Covid?
But, how does this trigger hearing loss? Particularly, how does this lead to sensorineural hearing loss, the type of hearing loss that is the result of damage to your auditory system and is usually permanent?
Scientists have a couple of hypotheses. These theories, we should mention, aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. They could both be relevant!
Theory #1: inflammation
Covid-19 produces inflammation in your upper respiratory tract, and the concept is that this inflammation eventually affects your ears. Your ears, nose, and mouth are all interconnected, after all. There are two ways this might lead to hearing loss:
- Fluid buildup: Fluid has a more difficult time draining because inflammation has made the drainage channels more narrow. As this fluid accumulates, it becomes harder to hear. In these situations, your hearing will usually return to normal once your symptoms clear up (if this happens, you’re not dealing with sensorineural hearing loss).
- Cell damage: It’s important to keep in mind that viruses reproduce by taking over your body’s own cells. The consequence is damage. In some cases, damage to the vascular connections between your brain and your ears occurs because of the way Covid affects your vascular system. This situation is sensorineural hearing loss and will be basically permanent.
When hearing loss is a result of a buildup due to inflammation, steroids can often help. There’s still a continuing effort by scientists to find a way to prevent sensorineural hearing loss. It’s not clear, based on this research, exactly how much protection vaccines give you against this kind of damage, but it’s safe to say 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. By now, you’ve most likely 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. Sometimes, patients will experience a mild bout of Covid followed by a debilitating Long Covid experience that drags on for months (or longer). Scientists are still unsure precisely what causes Long Covid, but there’s no doubt it’s a real thing.
Data about long-term hearing complications was systematically reviewed by scientists and a report was published in February 2021. Here’s what the review discovered:
- After getting Covid, hearing loss was reported by 7.6% of individuals.
- 14.8% reported developing tinnitus
- 7.2% of individuals reported vertigo
Whether these auditory problems are caused by Long Covid or just in relation to it isn’t very clear, but it goes without saying there’s a relationship of some kind. Long covid seems to trigger a broad constellation of symptoms, including those that impact your hearing.
Evidence or Anecdote?
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 narrative. And while it’s a fact of life for them, it isn’t really enough for scientists to go on when developing treatment guidance. So research is key here.
Scientists will be able to get a better comprehension about the hazards of Covid as they collect more information about how prevalent these difficulties are.
We undoubtedly need to understand more. The link between Covid and hearing loss isn’t either proven or unproven at this time and research is continuing. It’s important to seek help as soon as you can regardless of how your hearing loss developed. So call us if you suspect you may be developing hearing loss.
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&