ABSTRACT
A woman in her 30s was referred to an otolaryngologist with an acute onset of aural fullness, noise sensitivity, unilateral sudden onset hearing loss, vertigo and tinnitus. She had a confirmed COVID-19 infection 5 weeks prior. A pure tone audiogram confirmed sensorineural hearing loss. MRI identified an empty sella of the pituitary gland and without an obvious cause for hearing loss. Oral prednisolone and betahistine were prescribed, and her audiovestibular symptoms slowly improved over the subsequent months. The patient continues to experience intermittent tinnitus.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Hearing Loss, Sensorineural , Hearing Loss, Sudden , Tinnitus , Female , Humans , Tinnitus/drug therapy , Tinnitus/etiology , COVID-19/complications , Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/diagnosis , Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/drug therapy , Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/etiology , Hearing Loss, Sudden/diagnosis , Hearing Loss, Sudden/drug therapy , Hearing Loss, Sudden/etiology , VertigoABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 was first seen in December 2019. Due to the insidious and complex nature of the disease, the list of symptoms is rapidly expanding. So far, few studies have reported sudden sensorineural hearing loss as a possible symptom of coronavirus disease 2019. CASE REPORT: A 60-year-old woman with a complaint of sudden sensorineural hearing loss and subjective severe tinnitus presented to the ENT clinic. Coronavirus disease 2019 was subsequently confirmed with a polymerase chain reaction test. At the time of presentation, she was treated with intra-tympanic dexamethasone. Improvements in hearing threshold and speech perception, and a subjective reduction in tinnitus, were observed after treatment. CONCLUSION: This case report supports evidence from other case reports of a possible association between coronavirus disease 2019 and sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss may be a symptom of this disease that behaves as an underlying aggravating factor. Intra-tympanic injection of corticosteroids is recommended for managing these patients during the pandemic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/complications , Hearing Loss, Sudden/etiology , Injection, Intratympanic/methods , Tinnitus/etiology , Adrenal Cortex Hormones/administration & dosage , Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use , Auditory Threshold/drug effects , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/virology , Dexamethasone/administration & dosage , Dexamethasone/therapeutic use , Female , Hearing Loss, Sudden/drug therapy , Humans , Middle Aged , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification , Severity of Illness Index , Speech Perception/drug effects , Tinnitus/drug therapy , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is frequently seen by otolaryngologists. The exact pathophysiology of the disease is still unknown, with the most likely causative factor being following a viral infection. Immediate steroids are the best treatment to improve prognosis. Despite a plethora of papers in the literature describing SSNHL, there are only a few reported cases of hearing loss following COVID-19, none of which have been reported in the UK. This paper presents the first UK case of SSNHL following COVID-19. Physical examination and imaging excluded any other cause of hearing loss. A literature review showed that four other cases have been previously described. Hearing loss can be a significant cause of morbidity and can easily be missed in the intensive care setting. Being aware and screening for SSNHL following COVID-19 enables an early course of steroids, which offers the best chance of recovering hearing.