ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: In this clinical study, it was aimed to prospectively evaluate the cochlear nerve with brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA) in terms of audiological ailments in patients with COVID-19. Although the relationship of COVID-19 with tinnitus and hearing loss has been investigated since the day this infectious respiratory disease emerged, its relationship with BERA has not been fully demonstrated from a neurological perspective. METHODS: It was carried out on a group of patients who had COVID-19 in the last 6 months between February and August 2021 in Diyarbakir Gazi Yasargil Training and Research Hospital. Patients between the ages of 18-50, who applied to the otorhinolaryngology and neurology clinic and had COVID-19 in the last 6 months, were selected. The COVID-19 group of our study consisted of 30 patients, 18 males and 12 females, who had had COVID-19 disease in the last 6 months, and 30 healthy individuals, 16 males and 14 females, as the control group. RESULTS: In patients with COVID-19, the evaluation of the destruction of the cochlear nerve with BERA showed that there was a statistically significant prolongation in I-III and I-V interpeaks at 70, 80 and 90 db nhl. CONCLUSIONS: Statistically significant prolongation of especially I-III and I-V Interpeaks in BERA showed that COVID-19 has the potential to cause neuropathy. We believe that the BERA test should be considered in the neurological evaluation of cochlear nerve damage in patients with COVID-19 as a differential diagnosis.
Subject(s)
Audiometry, Evoked Response , COVID-19 , Female , Male , Humans , Infant , Child, Preschool , Cochlear Nerve , Ambulatory Care Facilities , Brain StemABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate different auditory regions with audiological tests, based on the presumption that there may be damage to the structures in the hearing system after coronavirus disease 2019. METHODS: Twenty individuals with no history of coronavirus disease 2019 and 27 individuals diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 were compared. Pure tone, speech and extended high-frequency audiometry, acoustic immitansmetry, transient evoked and distortion product otoacoustic emissions testing, and auditory brainstem response testing were conducted. RESULTS: The pure tone audiometry and extended high-frequency mean threshold values were higher in the coronavirus disease 2019 group. The transient evoked otoacoustic emissions signal-to-noise ratios were bilaterally lower at 4 kHz in individuals with a coronavirus disease 2019 history. In the auditory brainstem response test, only the interpeak latencies of waves III-V were significantly different between groups. CONCLUSION: Coronavirus disease 2019 may cause damage to the hearing system. Patients should be followed up in the long term with advanced audiological evaluation methods in order to determine the extent and level of damage.