Journal
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES
Volume 49, Issue 2, Pages 184-195Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/cjn.2021.63
Keywords
Hearing loss; Tinnitus; Dizziness; Vertigo; Otologic symptoms; Coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2
Categories
Funding
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) [390,930]
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) [40,352]
- Alberta Innovates (CAIP Chair) [43,568]
- Canadian Center for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) at the University of Lethbridge
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Research indicates that COVID-19 can cause hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizziness, but caution is advised in interpreting these findings due to insufficient evidence and heterogeneity among studies. Well-designed studies and follow-up assessments are recommended to study the otologic symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 using standard objective tests.
Objectives: Extensive studies indicate that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) involves human sensory systems. A lack of discussion, however, exists given the auditory-vestibular system involvement in CoV disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to determine the event rate (ER) of hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizziness caused by SARS-CoV-2. Methods: Databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley) and World Health Organization updates were searched using combined keywords: 'COVID-19,' 'SARS-CoV-2,' 'pandemic,' 'auditory dysfunction,' 'hearing loss,' 'tinnitus,' 'vestibular dysfunction,' 'dizziness,' 'vertigo,' and 'otologic symptoms.' Results: Twelve papers met the eligibility criteria and were included in the study. These papers were single group prospective, cross-sectional, or retrospective studies on otolaryngologic, neurologic, or general clinical symptoms of COVID-19 and had used subjective assessments for data collection (case histories/medical records). The results of the meta-analysis demonstrate that the ER of hearing loss (3.1%, CIs: 0.01-0.09), tinnitus (4.5%, CIs: 0.012-0.153), and dizziness (12.2%, CIs: 0.070-0.204) is statistically significant in patients with COVID-19 (Z <= -4.469, p <= 0.001). Conclusions: COVID-19 can cause hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizziness. These findings, however, should be interpreted with caution given insufficient evidence and heterogeneity among studies. Well-designed studies and follow-up assessments on otologic symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 using standard objective tests are recommended.
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