If you’re subjected to a lot of loud sound and don’t wear ear protection, you may experience hearing loss later in life. Similarly, if you work on a busy factory floor and don’t use hearing protection, hearing loss might be in your future. These are pretty common and well known causes of hearing loss. But within the past few years, a new cause has entered the fray. Yup, you guessed it, Covid-19.
That’s right, the same disease that’s been turning the world upside down for the past couple of years might also result in hearing loss.
Maybe? Probably? Alright, we’re still in the early phases of completely understanding Covid-19. And scientists are learning something new about it all the time. Some research does suggest that Covid-19 is connected to hearing loss, but that research is also somewhat early and is still waiting for more data to back it up. So let’s have a look at where things stand currently.
Does the Covid vaccine produce hearing loss?
So here’s the first thing to bear in mind: There’s utterly no proof that the Covid-19 vaccine causes hearing loss. All of the currently approved vaccines have this in common. Vaccines don’t affect your ears, they just don’t work that way. It would be like eating a nice healthy salad and then claiming that it caused your diabetes.
This goes for the brand new mRNA vaccines and the more established ones. For most people, the risks are greatly outweighed by the advantages. If you have questions about vaccines, make sure to talk to your doctor, and get answers from a reputable source.
Let’s talk about hearing loss now that we’ve cleared that up.
So how is hearing loss triggered by Covid?
But, how does this trigger hearing loss? Particularly, how does it trigger the kind of hearing loss that is the result of damage to the auditory system which is usually permanent, known as sensorineural hearing loss?
Well, there are a couple of theories. These theories, we should mention, aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. They can both be true!
Theory #1: inflammation
The first compelling theory among researchers is that Covid-19 causes considerable inflammation in the upper respiratory tract, and that this inflammation can ultimately impact your ears. After all, your nose, mouth, and ears are all interconnected. There are a couple of ways this could cause hearing loss:
- Fluid buildup: Inflammation can make drainage pathways smaller, making it harder for fluid to escape or drain efficiently. It becomes harder and harder to hear as this fluid continues to accumulate. In these cases, your hearing will usually go back to normal once your symptoms clear up (this would not be an instance of sensorineural hearing loss).
- Cell damage: It’s important to keep in mind that viruses reproduce by taking over your body’s own cells. The result is damage. In some cases, damage to the vascular links between your ears and your brain happens because of the way Covid impacts your vascular system. This situation is sensorineural hearing loss and will be generally irreversible.
When hearing loss is caused by a buildup due to inflammation, steroids can sometimes be helpful. Scientists are still searching for a way to prevent sensorineural hearing loss caused by cell damage. It’s unknown, based on this research, just how much protection vaccines give you against this type of damage, but it’s safe to say it’s better than no protection.
Theory #2: Long Covid
The next hypothesis is more significant in regards to patients’ experience, but a little less comprehended in terms of cause and effect. By now, you’ve most likely heard about something called Long Covid.
People will go through symptoms of Covid when they are dealing with Long Covid, long after they have recovered from the actual virus. Often, a debilitating bout of long Covid that drags out for months, or longer, after having Covid itself, is experienced. There’s no doubt, Long Covid is real, but scientists are still unsure why.
Data about long-term hearing complications was systematically reviewed by researchers and a report was published in February 2021. Here’s what the review found:
- After having Covid, hearing loss was reported by 7.6% of individuals.
- Tinnitus was reported by 14.8%
- Vertigo was reported by7.2% of people
Whether these auditory complications are caused by Long Covid or just in relation to it isn’t very clear, but it’s safe to say 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 individual story. When scientists are trying to devise a treatment strategy, these individual stories, while they are part of everyday life for the individuals, aren’t enough for researchers to go on. That’s why research is so crucial.
As researchers uncover more evidence that these hearing difficulties are fairly extensive, they’re able to create a clearer picture of the risks associated with Covid-19.
Obviously, there’s still more to understand. Research is continuing, which means the link between Covid-19 and hearing loss isn’t necessarily proven or unproven. No matter how your hearing loss develops, however, it’s still important that you seek treatment as soon as you can. So give us a call if you think you might 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&
