COVID-19 has some uncommon symptoms like dampening your sense of taste and smell. Indeed, loss of smell is often one of the first symptoms of infection. But COVID-19 impacts more than just your sense of taste and smell. Sensorineural hearing loss is an unusual and lasting problem according to new findings.
How Can COVID-19 Cause Hearing Loss?
Scientists are discovering more about COVID-19 each day. But there’s still a lot we don’t understand. 2019 is when the virus was first discovered. New pathogens normally take years or even decades for scientists to describe. One thing we’re discovering about COVID is that it impacts different people in a lot of different ways (making it a really difficult and challenging nemesis).
There are a multitude of symptoms you can suffer from. And one of those symptoms is lasting hearing loss. Why this occurs is still not evident. The virus might be causing a reaction called “cellular stress”. According to this theory, COVID puts so much stress on your body that certain cells (like those responsible for hearing) begin to deteriorate. But your body’s own immune response may also be responsible for this type of hearing loss. On occasion, your immune system can go into overdrive and ends up contributing to considerable damage to your body.
It’s also worth mentioning that occasionally this hearing loss can first appear when other COVID symptoms are on their way out. Again, we’re not really certain why this happens. We also have no clue why it’s more or less likely to occur.
Is There Any Treatment For This Sort of Hearing Loss?
Sensorineural hearing loss from COVID-19 can definitely be permanent. Naturally, there are a lot of variables, and there are a few treatments, too. It’s already been observed that early steroid treatments seem to help protect your hearing from further damage. If you are affected by sudden loss of hearing, you should consult a doctor.
Either way, once you’ve totally recovered from your COVID-19 experience, it might be a smart move to visit us and have a hearing examination.
There are several qualifiers to all of this that are worth pointing out. Hearing loss, first off, is not a very common COVID symptom. At the moment, we’re not sure how common this symptom is. But it’s likely that the science on COVID will continue to update and change as scientists discover more.
Can COVID Related Hearing Loss be Prevented?
Presently, if you’re already suffering with COVID, you need to let us or your doctor know as soon as possible if hearing changes suddenly. An early response could help decrease long-term hearing loss.
Try to stay healthy: Safeguarding yourself from getting COVID-19 is the best way to prevent this kind of hearing loss. So with regards to things such as social distancing, social gatherings, and wearing a mask, stick to the guidelines.
While this specific symptom isn’t common, it still occurs. And you will be substantially better off with more knowledge about hearing loss and COIVID. If you think you’ve already suffered hearing damage, it’s probably a wise decision to come in and get evaluated.