A 67-Year-Old Woman with Sudden Hearing Loss Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Abstract

Patient: Female, 67-year-old Final Diagnosis: SARS-CoV-2 Symptoms: Cough • fever • hearing Loss Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Specialty: Otolaryngology Objective: Unusual clinical course Background: Few reports have described the association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and sudden hearing loss. The precise pathophysiological mechanism causing this symptom is unknown. This report describes a case of sudden hearing loss in a patient with COVID-19 pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Case Report: A 67-year-old woman with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing from nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs, was examined. She experienced sudden hearing loss in her right ear and disabling tinnitus. She underwent combined corticosteroid therapy (oral and intratympanic), resulting in an isolated improvement of 250 kHz in the right ear (from 60 dB, the threshold became 15 dB) and of 4, 6, and 8 kHz in the left ear (from 35 dB, 20 dB, and 35 dB, the thresholds became 15 dB, 5 dB and 20 dB, respectively). Conclusions: Although rare, hearing loss appears to be a possible sequela to SARS-CoV-2 infection and deserves attention because it is a medical emergency requiring immediate clinical treatment. Additional studies are needed to assess the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in and the long-term characteristics of this type of hearing loss.

A case of peritoneal dialysis in which SARS-CoV-2 was diagnosed by sudden hearing loss

“…The coexistence of sudden hearing loss and SARS-CoV-2 is rare, but it has been reported with increasing frequency [1][2][3].…”

Acute Labyrinthitis Revealing COVID-19

“…Currently, the damaging impact of COVID-19 virus on the hearing organs in the inner ear is a new finding yet to be explored [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Otitis has already been highlighted as an unusual presentation of COVID-19, in conjunction with usual viral symptoms or as an isolated disorder [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

“…However, there is to date very limited data concerning corticotherapy usefulness in COVID-19 related otitis. Treatment with oral corticotherapy with or without intratympanic dexamethasone injections has been proposed [ 10 , 12 ] with progressive clinical improvement in most of cases.…”

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss in COVID‐19: A case report and literature review

“…Our PubMed search, conducted in November 2020 with the search terms “COVID”, “Corona”, “Coronavirus”, “hearing loss” and “deafness”, retrieved only 6 reports consisting of 8 audiometrically confirmed cases of SSNHL in SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected patients worldwide 3‐8 . The cases are summarized in Table 1.…”