Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss among COVID-19 Patients-Our Experiences at an Indian Teaching Hospital
SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 patients, sudden sensorineural hearing loss
Objective: Sensorineural hearing loss is a known complication of several viral infections. The association between the SARS-CoV-2 and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is making a challenge to the clinician in current COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study is to study the incidence of the sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) in patients with COVID-19 infections. Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study. There were 16 COVID-19 patients participated in this study those presented with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). The study was done between March 2020 to August 2020. All these patients were diagnosed of SARS-CoV-2 infection with help of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing. Results: Out of 16 patients with SSNHL, 11 (68.75%) were male and 5(31.25%) were female with male to female ration of 2.2:1. The age ranges of the participants were 38 to 72 years with mean age of 48.42 years. Out of the 16 patients with SSNH, 14(87.50%) were presented with unilateral and 2(12.50%) were presented with bilateral SSNHL. There were left sided SSNHL in 9 patients (56.25%) and right side SSNHL in 5 patients (31.25%). Out of the 16 patients of SSNHL, 3(18.75%) were completely asymptomatic except hearing loss and rests were presented with different clinical manifestations of the COVID-19 infections. Out of 16 patients 9(56.25%) were recovered with appropriate and prompt treatment. Conclusion: There should be a continuous monitoring of the SSNHL. Tracing of COVID-19 infection is needed to ensure the detail understanding of this inner ear pathogenesis.
Somadatta Das, Santosh Kumar Swain, Smarita Lenka