COVID-19 survivors could lose hearing along with sense of smell, taste

It has already been established that some coronavirus survivors lose their sense of smell and taste — but doctors in Britain now warn that they can also lose their hearing, according to a report.

Experts at The University of Manchester studied 121 adults who were admitted to Wythenshawe Hospital who were questioned about their lingering symptoms for two months after being discharged, the Mirror reported.

Eight of them reported a loss of hearing and eight others said they had developed tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, according to the news outlet.

“We already know that viruses such as measles, mumps and meningitis can cause hearing loss and coronaviruses can damage the nerves that carry information to and from the brain,” said Kevin Munro, a professor of audiology at The University of Manchester.

“It is possible, in theory, that COVID-19 could cause problems with parts of the auditory system including the middle ear or cochlea,” he added, the Mirror reported.

“For example, auditory neuropathy, a hearing disorder where the cochlea is functioning but transmission along the auditory nerve to the brain is impaired could be a feature,” Munro said.

He said the deadly bug also could impact pre-existing hearing loss and tinnitus, adding that there is an “urgent need for high-quality studies to investigate the acute and temporary effects of COVID-19 on hearing and the audiovestibular system”.

Some people who recover from the illness find that their symptoms persist for months.

Paul Garner said in a blog post published by the British Medical Journal that his bout with the illness lasted seven weeks, and that his symptoms had waxed and waned.

He described a “muggy head, upset stomach, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), pins and needles, breathlessness, dizziness and arthritis in the hands.”