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Tinnitus – a persistent ringing in the ears – appears to appear as a COVID-19 residual effect.
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One early study said that approximately 15% of COVID patients report the symptom.
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A British charity has reported a 256% increase in calls related to tinnitus since the pandemic began.
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Evidence is increasing that COVID-19 may be linked to an unpleasant and potentially debilitating sound in the ears.
The link between the persistent buzzing in the ears – also called tinnitus – and mental health was recently highlighted by Kent Taylor’s death by suicide.
The 65-year-old founder of the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain died on March 18 after what his family described as a battle with post-COVID-related symptoms, including severe tinnitus. ‘
The British charity reported an increase in inquiries regarding tinnitus between May and December 2020, reports The Guardian with 256% of its normal call volume in those months.
In a preliminary study published on March 21, it was found that 15% of the people who had COVID-19 reported that they had tinnitus. 7.6% reported hearing loss and 7.2% had vertigo, which is also related to the ears.
Dr. Kevin Munro, a professor of audiology at the University of Manchester and lead author of the study, told The New York Times that within 24 hours of publishing the study, he received about 100 emails from grateful patients to to say that their doctor was dismissive. of their symptoms.
“We are awaiting a final high quality study to confirm this number,” Munro told Insider in an email.
To date, it is not clear whether tinnitus is the result of COVID-19 infection.
“We know that some viruses can damage the ears, so it is possible with SARS-CoV-2,” Munro told Insider, using the scientific name for the coronavirus.
Measles, mumps and meningitis can also cause hearing problems.
But “tinnitus is sometimes more troublesome when we are anxious and stressed and not sleeping well,” Munro said.
Tinnitus is often characterized as a ringing in the ears, but can also sound like buzzing, hissing or clicking.
One social media user described his “post-COVID tinnitus” in a tweet as a “cicada invasion”:
About 15% of the public experience tinnitus and 2 million Americans have ‘debilitating cases’ of tinnitus, according to the American Tinnitus Association.
The UK’s national health service cites tinnitus as a common side effect, both in people with COVID-19 and in those recovering.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization do not, reports The New York Times.
One of the problems is that there is no diagnostic test for tinnitus, Munro said in an email to Insider.
In most cases, tinnitus is called “subjective”, which means that only the patient can hear the noise, although in some rare cases the doctor can hear the tinnitus during examination.
“Until we undergo a diagnostic test, clinicians in medical history must rely on self-report,” Munro said.
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