The Relationship Between Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Vestibular Neuritis, and Infection With COVID-19
Abstract
Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sudden sensorineural hearing loss, vestibular neuritis, and infection with COVID-19.
Materials and Methods: In this study, a total of 56 Iranians (32 females and 24 males) with a Mean±SD age of 45.12±14 years were studied in Tehran City, Iran. Individuals diagnosed with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) or vestibular neuritis based on definitive diagnostic criteria were included in the study. The methodology comprised four sections of underlying Sudden Hearing Loss,, auditory and vestibular inspection, SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test, and statistical analysis. Also, the videonystagmography test was used in participants with vertigo to diagnose vestibular neuritis. Pure tone audiometry confirmed SSNHL in some patients with a complaint of hearing loss. Furthermore, tuning fork, Rinne and Weber tests were also performed.
Results: The results of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR in 56 subjects showed that eight subjects (22.2%) with vestibular neuritis and two with SSNHL (10%) had a positive RT-PCR test. The Chi-square and Fisher exact-tests with a 95% confidence interval revealed no statistically significant (P>0.05) relationship between COVID-19 infection and vestibular neuritis or SSNHL.
Conclusion: The present study showed no statistically significant relationship between audiovestibular disorders and positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test. However, the possibility of this relationship cannot be ruled out, and there is a need for studies with larger sample sizes.
World Health Organization. WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard [Internet]. 2020 [Updated 2021 October 4]. Available from: https://covid19.who.int/
Bai Y, Yao L, Wei T, Tian F, Jin DY, Chen L, et al. Presumed asymptomatic carrier transmission of COVID-19. JAMA. 2020; 323(14):1406-7. [DOI:10.1001/jama.2020.2565] [PMID] [PMCID]
Burke RM, Midgley CM, Dratch A, Fenstersheib M, Haupt T, Holshue M, et al. Active monitoring of persons exposed to patients with confirmed COVID-19 - United States, January-February 2020. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2020; 69(9):245-6. [DOI:10.15585/mmwr.mm6909e1] [PMID] [PMCID]
Huang Ch, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, et al. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. The Lancet. 2020; 395(10223):497-506. [DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30183-5]
Liu J, Liao X, Qian Sh, Yuan J, Wang F, Liu Y, et al. Community transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Shenzhen, China, 2020. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2020; 26(6):1320-3. [DOI:10.3201/eid2606.200239]
Russell CD, Millar JE, Baillie JK. Clinical evidence does not support corticosteroid treatment for 2019-nCoV lung injury. The Lancet. 2020; 395(10223):473-5. [DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30317-2]
Sharifian-Dorche M, Huot Ph, Osherov M, Wen D, Saveriano A, Giacomini PS, et al. Neurological complications of coronavirus infection; a comparative review and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 2020; 417:117085. [DOI:10.1016/j.jns.2020.117085] [PMID] [PMCID]
Sriwijitalai W, Wiwanitkit V. Hearing loss and COVID-19: A note. American Journal of Otolaryngology. 2020; 41(3):102473. [DOI:10.1016/j.amjoto.2020.102473] [PMID] [PMCID]
Rhman SA, Wahid AA. COVID-19 and sudden sensorineural hearing loss, a case report. Otolaryngology Case Reports. 2020; 16:100198. [DOI:10.1016/j.xocr.2020.100198]
Koumpa FS, Forde CT, Manjaly JG. Sudden irreversible hearing loss post COVID-19. BMJ Case Reports. 2020; 13(11):e238419. [DOI:10.1136/bcr-2020-238419] [PMID] [PMCID]
Kilic O, Kalcioglu MT, Cag Y, Tuysuz O, Pektas E, Caskurlu H, et al. Could sudden sensorineural hearing loss be the sole manifestation of COVID-19? An investigation into SARS-COV-2 in the etiology of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2020; 97:208-11. [DOI:10.1016/j.ijid.2020.06.023] [PMID] [PMCID]
Filatov A, Sharma P, Hindi F, Espinosa PS. Neurological complications of coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Encephalopathy. Cureus. 2020; 12(3):e7352. [DOI:10.7759/cureus.7352]
Almufarrij I, Uus K, Munro KJ. Does coronavirus affect the audio-vestibular system? A rapid systematic review. International Journal of Audiology. 2020; 59(7):487-91. [DOI:10.1080/14992027.2020.1776406] [PMID]
Malayala SV, Raza A. A case of COVID-19-induced vestibular neuritis. Cureus. 2020; 12(6):e8918. [DOI:10.7759/cureus.8918]
Kim S, Jung YK, Kim MJ, Kim KS, Kim HJ. Diagnostic evolution of vestibular neuritis after long-term monitoring. Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology. 2021; March. [DOI:10.1016/j.bjorl.2021.02.004]
Lin HW, Roberts DS, Harris JP. Cummings review of otolaryngology e-book. Amsterdam: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2016. https://books.google.com/books?id=NEDUDAAAQBAJ&dq
Ben Slama A, Mouelhi A, Sahli H, Zeraii A, Marrakchi J, Trabelsi H. A deep convolutional neural network for automated vestibular disorder classification using VNG analysis. Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering: Imaging & Visualization. 2020; 8(3):334-42. [DOI:10.1080/21681163.2019.1699165]
Schreiber BE, Agrup Ch, Haskard DO, Luxon LM. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The Lancet. 2010; 375(9721):1203-11. [DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)62071-7]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms of COVID-19 [Internet]. 2020 [Updated 2021 February 22]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
Degen Ch, Lenarz T, Willenborg K. Acute profound sensorineural hearing loss after COVID-19 pneumonia. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2020; 95(8):1801-3. [DOI:10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.05.034] [PMID] [PMCID]
Rahimi V, Asiyabar MK, Rouhbakhsh N. Sudden hearing loss and coronavirus disease 2019: The role of corticosteroid intra-tympanic injection in hearing improvement. The Journal of Laryngology & Otology. 2021; 135(5):464-6. [DOI:10.1017/S0022215121001080] [PMID]
Han W, Quan B, Guo Y, Zhang J, Lu Y, Feng G, et al. The course of clinical diagnosis and treatment of a case infected with coronavirus disease 2019. Journal of Medical Virology. 2020; 92(5):461-3. [DOI:10.1002/jmv.25711] [PMID] [PMCID]
Lechien JR, Chiesa‐Estomba CM, Place S, Van Laethem Y, Cabaraux P, Mat Q, et al. Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 1420 European patients with mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019. Journal of Internal Medicine. 2020; 288(3):335-44. [DOI:10.1111/joim.13089] [PMID] [PMCID]
Fadakar N, Ghaemmaghami S, Masoompour SM, Shirazi Yeganeh B, Akbari A, Hooshmandi S, et al. A first case of acute cerebellitis associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19): A case report and literature review. The Cerebellum. 2020; 19(6):911-4. [DOI:10.1007/s12311-020-01177-9] [PMID] [PMCID]
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 15 No 4 (2021) | |
| Section | Research Article(s) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/jmr.v15i4.7744 | |
| Keywords | ||
| COVID-19 Sudden hearing loss Vestibular Neuritis (VN) Vertigo Hearing loss Otolaryngology | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
|
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
