COVID-19 has a few unusual symptoms like dampening your sense of smell and taste. Indeed, loss of smell is often one of the initial indications of infection. But COVID-19 impacts more than just your sense of taste and smell. Sensorineural hearing loss is an uncommon and long-term problem according to new studies.
How is Hearing Loss Brought on by COVID-19?
Each day scientists are finding out more about COVID-19. But there’s still a lot we don’t know. The virus itself was only first observed late in 2019. New pathogens normally take years or even decades for scientists to identify. And COVIC-19 can be especially challenging because it effects different individuals in different ways.
There are a multitude of symptoms you can suffer from. And irreversible hearing loss can be one of them. Why this occurs is still not known. It could be something called “cellular stress” caused by the virus. Some cells (such as the cells in your ear) will start to deteriorate, according to this theory, because the virus places so much stress on the body. But your body’s own immune response could also be responsible for this kind of hearing loss. Occasionally, your immune system can go into overdrive and winds up contributing to significant damage to your body.
Additionally, when other COVID symptoms are almost gone, this hearing loss can still become apparent. Again, we’re not really certain why this occurs. We also don’t have a good grasp of what type of underlying circumstances would cause COVID-related hearing loss to be more or less likely to take place.
Is There Any Treatment For This Kind of Hearing Loss?
Sensorineural hearing loss triggered by COVID-19 can indeed be permanent. Of course, there are countless variables, and there are some treatments, too. Actually, researchers have noticed already that steroid treatments appear to help protect your hearing, especially if you get early treatment. If you are affected by sudden loss of hearing, you need to consult a doctor.
Either way, once you’ve fully recovered from your COVID-19 situation, it might be a good move to visit us and get a hearing test.
But it’s worth noting that there are a few qualifiers to all of this. First and foremost, hearing loss does appear to be a fairly uncommon symptom of COVID. At the moment, we’re not certain how common this symptom is. But it’s likely that the science on COVID will continue to update and change as scientists discover more.
Can You Prevent COVID-Induced Hearing Loss?
If you have sudden changes in your hearing and you have COVID-19 contact your doctor and make an appointment for a hearing test with us. Long-term hearing loss can be decreased by rapid response.
Try to prevent getting sick: The best way to protect against COVID-related hearing loss is to do everything possible to avoid getting COVID in the first place. So with regards to things like social distancing, social gatherings, and wearing a mask, follow the guidelines.
This symptom does happen though it’s rare. And the more insight you have about COVID and hearing loss, the better. It’s a good decision to come in for an evaluation if you think you have suffered hearing damage.
