Achados otológicos em pacientes pós-infecção pelo zika vírus: estudos de caso

Abstract

The Zika virus is transmitted between humans by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and has become a public health emergency, as declared by the World Health Organization. Studies have reported the virus to be associated with hearing alterations in patients, following infection. This study was conceived in view of the importance of hearing for communication, associated with the limited number of reports on the impact of Zika virus on the hearing system of adults. The aim of the study was to characterize the otological findings in two adult patients, following infection with the Zika virus. The otological findings observed in two outpatients of an otorhinolaryngology service were described, both of whom reported hearing complaints immediately following the clinical symptoms of Zika virus infection. Both adult patients reported the following symptoms: discomfort, skin rash, joint pain, auricular fullness, and hearing loss. Serologic testing (IgG) for Zika virus was performed. The audiological findings were unilateral peripheral hearing loss in one of the patients, alterations in contralateral acoustic reflexes in both patients, and alteration in the brainstem auditory-evoked potential in one patient. The audiological findings demonstrate possible neuronal involvement in the manifested complaints, whether or not associated with the peripheral component, in patients infected with Zika virus. Keywords

A Review of Hearing Loss Associated with Zika, Ebola, and Lassa Fever

“…Across studies, 56 (21.2%) of 264 individuals were found to have some degree of HL. 18,[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] Four of the fourteen articles described acquired HL in adults following Zika infection ( Table 1). The HL in these cases varied from moderate to severe and was reported as both unilateral and bilateral, with most patients experiencing recovery to normal or previous thresholds.…”

“…The HL in these cases varied from moderate to severe and was reported as both unilateral and bilateral, with most patients experiencing recovery to normal or previous thresholds. [22][23][24]30 Ten articles presented complication data of congenital Zika syndrome related to HL (Table 1). 18,22,[25][26][27][28][29][33][34][35] The majority of these studies used standard HL screening methods for infants, including measurement of auditory brainstem response and otoacoustic emission, which assesses cochlear function.…”

“…[22][23][24]30 Ten articles presented complication data of congenital Zika syndrome related to HL (Table 1). 18,22,[25][26][27][28][29][33][34][35] The majority of these studies used standard HL screening methods for infants, including measurement of auditory brainstem response and otoacoustic emission, which assesses cochlear function. 18,[25][26][27][28][29]31,33,34 The proportion of infants with reported HL in these studies varied from 6% to 68%.…”