One of the most uncommon symptoms of COVID-19 is that it’s able to temporarily dampen your senses of smell and taste. Indeed, loss of smell is often one of the initial signs of infection. But your sense of smell and taste aren’t the only sense affected by COVID-19. Sensorineural hearing loss is an uncommon and lasting problem according to new studies.
How is Hearing Loss Caused by COVID-19?
Each day scientists are finding out more with regards to COVID-19. But we’re truly in the dark in a lot of ways. The virus itself was only first observed late in 2019. Usually, scientists work for years, even decades, to fully identify a new pathogen. One thing we do know about COVID is that it impacts different individuals in a lot of different ways (making it a really difficult and challenging problem).
You might experience a wide variety of symptoms. And one of those symptoms is permanent hearing loss. Scientists still aren’t sure why that is. It may be something called “cellular stress” caused by the virus. Based on this hypothesis, COVID places so much strain on your body that some cells (such as those responsible for hearing) begin to break down. But this kind of hearing loss might also be the result of your body’s own immune reaction. Sometimes, your immune system can go into high gear and ends up causing significant damage to your body.
Additionally, when other COVID symptoms are going away, this hearing loss can still become apparent. The actual timing isn’t completely understood. We also have no clue why it’s more or less likely to occur.
Is There Any Treatment For This Type of Hearing Loss?
Sensorineural hearing loss triggered by COVID-19 can certainly be permanent. There may be some treatment options depending on specific variables. It’s already been observed that early steroid treatments appear to help protect your hearing from further damage. It’s important to see a doctor as soon as possible if you experience sudden loss of hearing.
In either case, once you’ve totally recovered from your COVID-19 situation, it might be a smart plan to visit us and undergo a hearing screening.
There are several qualifiers to all of this that are worth pointing out. First and foremost, hearing loss does appear to be a relatively uncommon symptom of COVID. Right now, we’re not sure how prevalent this symptom is. But as scientists discover more about COVID-19 the science will adjust.
Can COVID Related Hearing Loss be Prevented?
If you have sudden changes in your hearing and you have COVID-19 get in touch with your doctor and make an appointment for a hearing test with us. Long-term hearing loss can be decreased by rapid response.
Try to avoid getting sick: Protecting yourself from getting COVID-19 is the best way to avoid this kind of hearing loss. So with regards to things like social distancing, social gatherings, and wearing a mask, stick to the guidelines.
While this specific symptom isn’t common, it still happens. And you will be substantially better off with more insight about hearing loss and COIVID. If you think you’ve already had hearing damage, it’s probably a wise decision to come in and get evaluated.