British doctors recently reported an exceptional case. Experts say this is Britain's "first case" of sudden and permanent hearing loss in a Covid-19 patient. This loss could be related to the coronavirus, as a possible side effect of the infection.
After smell, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus could well attack hearing. This theory was published in the journal BMJ Case Reports on October 13, 2020, reporting a study by University College London (UK). Authors call it Britain's "first case" of sudden and permanent hearing loss that may be related to the coronavirus alone. According to the study leaders, there is now a considerable literature on the coronavirus and its symptoms. Nevertheless, there is a lack of information regarding a possible link between the virus and hearing. Specialists now recommend screening for hearing loss in hospitals . The goal is to quickly detect the problem and use steroids to recover the hearing.
So far, a few cases of hearing loss around the world have been associated with the coronavirus alone. The first dates from April 2020 and was observed in Thailand. Remember that cases of sudden hearing loss have a ratio of 5 to 160 cases per 100,000 people every year. However, the causes are not always clear. For example, it could be a clogged blood vessel or a viral infection.
The authors of the publication described the case of a 45-year-old man with asthma being treated for Covid-19 in their hospital. First in intensive care, the patient saw his condition improve after his treatment with remdesivir, intravenous steroids and blood plasma (therapeutic exchange). A week after discharge, the patient had a strange sensation in his ear , as a kind of sound (tinnitus) before suddenly losing hearing.
The doctors then welcomed the patient back and examined him. His ear canals were not blocked or inflamed. As for the eardrums, these were intact. After a hearing test, the doctors concluded that there was hearing loss in the left ear. However, the patient partially recovered from this loss after corticosteroid treatment . According to doctors, hearing loss is indeed linked to Covid-19, after ruling out other possible causes such as HIV or the flu.
