Covid, infection increases the risk of hearing loss in young people: the study

Not being able to taste or smell has been, since the beginning, one of the most easily recognizable symptoms of Covid. A new study now reveals that the infection also increases the risk of hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) in young adults. The team of South Korean researchers analyzed data from 6.7 million people between the ages of 20 and 39 without hearing problems, from January 2020 to December 2022. 72% had had Covid, 93.1% had completed the primary vaccination series.

“Recent clinical reports have documented sudden, unprecedented hearing loss in young adults after COVID-19 infectionsuggesting that these disorders have increasingly emerged as a new public health problem following the pandemic – the researchers state in the study published in eClinicalMedicine, of the Lancet group – Hearing loss in young people can have a significant impact on quality of lifeon academic and professional performance and on social relationships”. Well, the new study shows that hearing problems are 3 times more frequent after Covid.

During the study period, 38,269 cases of deafness occurred. and 5,908 cases of sensorineural hearing loss, due to damage to the auditory nerve, which reduces the perception of certain frequencies and causes sounds to appear distorted. In both cases, the risk was higher in the group that had contracted the Sars-CoV-2 virus. A further, more detailed analysis showed that The greatest risk of Covid-related hearing loss is seen in young adults with diabetesthe same goes for sensorineural hearing loss, which also affects patients with abnormal cholesterol levels more. “These findings suggest that healthcare professionals should be aware of the increased risk of hearing problems in young adults with Covid-19 and consider adequate screening and follow-up,” recommend the researchers, who consider further studies using objective audiological data and a longer follow-up period necessary to delve deeper into the biological mechanisms underlying the effects of Sars-CoV-2 on hearing.