The incidence of Sudden Sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) IN COVID 19 patients in tertiary care referral units

Abstract

Abstract Background: Covid–19 is a new pandemic infectious disease emerged in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019, we aimed to evaluate the Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) prevalence after covid 19 infection or even vaccination. Methods: Two-centre retrospective, observational cross-sectional study performed at tertiary care referral Audio-vestibular Medicine Units at the period between August 1st 2020 and October 31st 2021. All sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) patients diagnosed in a period of a month with Covid -19 or vaccinated with Covid -19 vaccine were participated in this study. Results: Fifty-three cases with confirmed Covid -19 and one patient vaccinated with Covid -19 vaccine one week before, reported sudden sensory neural hearing loss were included in this study. forty-eight patients had unilateral hearing loss and 6 patients had bilateral hearing loss. Forty-nine patients with typical Covid -19 symptoms, one patient discovered after complaining of anosmia and ageusia, one patient after Covid -19 vaccination and three patient was complaining only from hearing loss and had PCR test for nasopharyngeal swapes to prove infection were participated in our study. Different degrees of SSNHL were ranged from mild to severe and most of the patients had severe hearing loss. Conclusion: With more patients, Covid-19 may be a potential factor in sudden sensorineural hearing loss. It should be kept in mind that SSNHL may be the only indicator used to identify Covid- 19 cases.