Audiovestibular and vaccination complications of COVID-19

Objectives: Since its first appearance in Wuhan December 2019, SARS-CoV2 virus received great attention due to its severe symptoms and high spread causing COVID-19 disease which spread all over the world like a pandemic. The causative virus is capable of human-to-human transmission via droplet and direct contact suggesting that upper respiratory tract is the main site to virus manifestations. There is a great diversity in its clinical picture, although the severe respiratory and neurological symptoms are commonly present;however, other symptoms are present. Although otological manifestations are reported in many COVID-19 patients even in asymptomatic cases, they did not receive much attention compared with other critical manifestations. In this article, we paid our attention specifically to the otological manifestations of COVID-19 and their relevance either to the virus infection, treatment, or vaccination through literature review. Conclusion(s): COVID-19 disease has a deleterious effect on the inner ear. This effect is not only due to SARS-Cov-2 infection, but it could be also due to the ototoxic drugs used for treatment. The COVID-19 vaccinations are found to be implicated in the otological symptoms in some cases.Copyright © 2022, The Author(s).

Patient satisfaction with a virtual multidisciplinary team balance clinic: a pilot study

Background/Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic led to many services being conducted remotely, including ear, nose and throat services. Although much in-person activity has now resumed, some services are still being provided remotely. This pilot study explored patients' satisfaction with the virtual multidisciplinary team balance clinics established at the authors' practice, looking at the feasibility of continuing this model of service delivery in the future. Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were posted to the 56 patients who had received a virtual consultation with the service between March and September 2020, of which 22 were returned. The questionnaire presented respondents with 14 items, with which they rated their agreement on a 6-point Likert scale. Correlations between the final item (which measured overall satisfaction) and the other items were analysed using Spearman's rho. Results: Overall, respondents were satisfied with the virtual consultations. Respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with 13 of the 14 items;the only exception was 'I obtained better access to healthcare services by use of telemedicine'. Most respondents were happy with the quality of communication and valued the time saved on travel, although one pointed out that this may not be an appropriate mode of service delivery for patients who are deaf. Conclusions: Virtual clinics can be an acceptable adjunct to traditional clinical consultations in an ear, nose and throat outpatient department for balance disorders and should be continued in future.

Patient satisfaction with a virtual multidisciplinary team balance clinic: a pilot study

Background/Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic led to many services being conducted remotely, including ear, nose and throat services. Although much in-person activity has now resumed, some services are still being provided remotely. This pilot study explored patients' satisfaction with the virtual multidisciplinary team balance clinics established at the authors' practice, looking at the feasibility of continuing this model of service delivery in the future. Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were posted to the 56 patients who had received a virtual consultation with the service between March and September 2020, of which 22 were returned. The questionnaire presented respondents with 14 items, with which they rated their agreement on a 6-point Likert scale. Correlations between the final item (which measured overall satisfaction) and the other items were analysed using Spearman's rho. Results: Overall, respondents were satisfied with the virtual consultations. Respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with 13 of the 14 items;the only exception was 'I obtained better access to healthcare services by use of telemedicine'. Most respondents were happy with the quality of communication and valued the time saved on travel, although one pointed out that this may not be an appropriate mode of service delivery for patients who are deaf. Conclusions: Virtual clinics can be an acceptable adjunct to traditional clinical consultations in an ear, nose and throat outpatient department for balance disorders and should be continued in future.

The Relationship Between Balance Disorders and Lung Involvement in COVID-19 Patients

Introduction: To better understand COVID-19 and prevent the spread of the disease, symptoms associated with COVID-19 should be known. The list of symptoms of COVID-19 is expanding. This study aimed to examine the relation between balance disorders and radiologically detected lung involvement seen in COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Cerrahpasa School of Medicine Hospital and Cerrahpasa Medicine Faculty between July 2021 to June 2022. The study included 174 COVID-19 patients with pulmonary involvement (Group 1) and 174 COVID-19 patients without pulmonary involvement (Group 2). Balance disorders of the patients within one month after the diagnosis of COVID-19 were questioned with a self-reported questionnaire made over the phone. The incidence of balance disorders, type of balance disorder, onset time, duration, and severity were questioned. Results: Balance disorders were detected in 67 (19.3%) of the patients. Dizziness was detected in 60 (89.55%) of these patients, and vertigo was detected in seven (10.45%) of them. The number of patients with balance disorders was 49 (28.2%) in Group 1 and 18 (10.3%) in Group 2. The frequency of balance disorders was significantly higher in Group 1 (p= 0.001). Vertigo was detected in in (3.4%) and dizziness in 43 patients (24.7%) in Group 1, and vertigo was detected in one patient (0.6%) and dizziness in 17 patients (9.8%) in Group 2. The frequency of dizziness was significantly higher in Group 1 (p= 0.001). Balance disorders were significantly longer and more severe in Group 1 (p= 0.048, p= 0.029, respectively). Conclusion: Balance disorders can be a symptom of COVID-19, and they may be more frequent, more serious, and longer lasting in patients with pulmonary involvement.

In Search of a Neurotologic Profile in COVID-19 - A Study in Health Care Workers.

Introduction COVID-19 is an emerging disease and the neurotologic symptoms are still not well understood. Furthermore, the development of a neurotological profile and its associated factors can help the clinician in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. The objective is to determine the neurotologic manifestations experienced by COVID-19 positive health care workers and their associated factors. Methods A symptoms survey was administered to health care workers who were positive to COVID-19 from September to October 2020. An informed consent form was digitally signed and Google Forms software was used for the survey. Frequencies and percentages were used for categorical variables, and associated clinical features were reported with odds ratios. Results We included 209 COVID-19 positive health care workers, 55.5% (n = 116) were women, and 44.5% (n = 93) were men. Fifty-three percent of patients were 20 to 30 years old and 56.4% had at least one comorbidity. The prevalence of neurotological manifestations was 18.6% (n = 39/209), the most frequent symptoms were vertigo (61.5%, n = 24/39), tinnitus (43.5%, n = 17/39), imbalance (43.5%, n = 17/39), and one case of facial paralysis (2.5%, n = 1/39). Neurotological manifestations were associated predominantly with asthenia (p = 0.021), loss of smell (p = 0.002) and taste dysfunction (p = 0.002). Conclusion The most common neurotological manifestations were vertigo, tinnitus and imbalance. Clinical features associated with a neurotologic profile were asthenia, hyposmia and dysgeusia.