SARS-CoV-2 and hearing: an audiometric analysis of COVID-19 hospitalized patients

Alves de Sousa, Francisco; Costa, Rodrigo Pinto; Xará, Sandra; Pinto, Ana Nóbrega; Almeida e Sousa, Cecília

Purpose COVID-19 associated hearing loss is still an ongoing matter of debate. No original studies exist on audiological effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalized patients. The main objective was to determine whether SARS-CoV-2 may affect auditory function in clinically ill COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods COVID-19 patients with moderate-severe disease and without prior history of hearing abnormalities were enrolled from a tertiary referral center, and matched with controls. Participants performed an audiometric evaluation, and thresholds were compared. Results 120 ears from 60 patients were enrolled. Patients with COVID-19 showed worse mean auditory thresholds starting from 1000 Hz through higher frequencies, when compared to controls ( 1000 Hz : 18.52 ± 5.49 dB HL in controls vs 25.36 ± 6.79 dB HL in COVID-19, p<0.001; 2000Hz : 17.50 ± 5.57 dB HL in controls vs 21.96 ± 7.05 dB HL in COVID-19, p=0.010; 3000Hz : 17.97 ± 8.07 dB HL in controls vs 25 ± 9.38 dB HL in COVID-19, p=0.003; 4000 Hz : 20.16 ± 10.12 dB HL in controls vs 29.55 ± 11.26 dB HL in COVID-19, p=0.001; 8000 Hz : 31.09 ± 12.75 dB HL in controls vs 40.71 ± 19.40 dB HL in COVID-19, p=0.030; Pure Tone Average : 20.42 ± 4.29 dB HL in controls vs 24.85 ± 5.62 dB HL in COVID-19, p=0.001). Statistical significance persisted after adjusting for confounders such as age, gender and various comorbidities (p<0.05). Conclusions SARS-CoV-2 may affect hearing in COVID-19 patients with moderate-severe disease. Results are in line with the previous suggested effects of COVID-19 on auditory system. This study is expected to encourage further research on this topic.