Nurse raises awareness of Covid-related hearing loss

Registered nurse and lecturer at the University of South Australia, Kim Gibson, is spreading awareness about hearing loss as a possible symptom of Covid-19.

Studies suggested that the Covid virus could attack the tissue and cells in the inner ear, causing problems with hearing and balance.

Ms Gibson experienced sudden hearing loss in one ear five weeks after a mild case of Covid.

Her findings, published last April, emphasised the need for clinicians to recognise and screen for sudden hearing loss as a potential symptom of Covid.

Since one in three older people experience hearing loss, clinicians could be at risk of misdiagnosing the condition as an age-related disease.

"Hearing loss due to Covid can affect people of all ages and the severity of the infection," Ms Gibson said.

Aged Care Insite spoke with Ms Gibson about how the virus could impact someone's hearing and the importance of the patient receiving early treatment.

ACI: Could you tell me what happened last year after getting a Covid infection?

KB: Essentially, I did a case study on myself. 

I had a relatively mild case of Covid in April last year and spent about a week in bed. 

I was otherwise a healthy 39-year-old and had ongoing cold-like symptoms. 

It took me a while to shake them off, and then five weeks after my Covid infection, I woke up one Sunday morning with a blocked ear and a feeling of ear fullness. 

I was off-balance, and over the next 24 hours, my hearing disappeared in one ear. 

I went to my GP, who found my ear looked relatively normal but referred me to an ENT surgeon. 

I got worse that day, and I had severe vertigo. 

I got to the ENT surgeon roughly 48 hours after the symptoms started, who also agreed that my ear looked normal. 

I had an MRI, which showed no apparent cause for my hearing loss. 

I had profound hearing loss in my right ear. 

Then, I had two weeks of steroids and betaine, a sort of antihistamine.

It helps improve blood circulation by increasing blood flow to the affected area, while Prednisolone works as a steroid to reduce inflammation.

It was a slow recovery over the following six months. 

At six months, my hearing in my right ear had returned to normal limits, but I have ongoing tinnitus and noise sensitivity, which may be a chronic problem now.

But it gave me severe stress and anxiety even though my hearing has returned to normal limits.

It made me realise how much I relied on my hearing, particularly conversing with people. 

In terms of hearing, you don't value something until it's gone. 

The vertigo was exacerbated when I was looking at a computer screen. 

Any kind of concentrating on eye work or computer screen work made me feel even worse, so it affected my professional life as well as my personal life.

During the testing, did they link Covid infection with hearing loss?

With any sudden onset hearing loss, you need to look for a major pathological cause like a tumour or a stroke. 

So anyone who presents with hearing loss, according to our national guidelines, should get an MRI and steroids early. 

Because everything else was ruled out, my blood test came back normal, and by looking at the literature and the studies done on this, it's very safe to say that my hearing loss was associated with Covid. 

They studied the inner ear of mice and human tissue and could see the effect of Covid on the inner ear. 

Globally, we see that sudden onset hearing loss has increased during and after the pandemic versus before, and people are presenting to their doctors with hearing loss and testing positive for Covid. 

There have been studies overseas where they've done hearing tests on people hospitalised with Covid.

So, now, they're screening for hearing loss in people with Covid.

So, how does the Covid virus affect the ear and hearing?

Research suggests that in almost 90 per cent of the cases, there's no apparent cause for the rapid hearing loss, and it's almost always unilateral.

While there's not much research yet on Covid and hearing loss, studies proposed that the virus attacks the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe, stimulating excess cytokine release. 

These cytokines can then harm the nerve responsible for hearing and the tissues in the inner ear, which can cause problems with hearing and balance.

Based on the literature, we know that getting steroids early on leads to better outcomes. 

If your hearing loss isn't as severe, your chances of recovering are also better. 

Despite having moderate hearing loss, I received steroids within 24-48 hours, which helped me recover. 

Studies have shown that early steroid treatment can predict hearing recovery. 

Unfortunately, this research wasn't available when I experienced hearing loss. 

However, more research on this topic has been published in the last year.

How have you tried to spread awareness about hearing loss and Covid?

As an academic, I felt responsible for publishing my findings.

I wanted to share my knowledge and raise awareness about Covid, especially since we may have become complacent after three years. 

If we face another wave, it's crucial for clinicians, especially GPs, to recognise sudden hearing loss as a potential symptom of Covid.

Even if the patient doesn't have a history of Covid infection, they could still have it. 

Understanding that hearing loss due to Covid can affect people of all ages and the severity of infection is crucial. 

Even those with mild infections and those in their thirties to seventies can experience hearing loss. 

Therefore, being younger does not mean you are not at risk.

I've had two Covid vaccinations and a booster, and still, I experienced hearing loss after a Covid infection.

It's highlighted in the media, in our health promotion, that if you lose your taste, that's a sign of Covid.

If our taste goes, we know where to go and get screened. 

But there's nothing really about hearing. 

That's also a critical message we may need to send to the community. 

And we don't know what will happen to this virus as it mutates. 

It could be affecting other organ systems. Unfortunately, we have yet to see many of the mutations and follow up on what could happen. 

So it's essential not to go, 'Oh, well, it's only my taste that hasn't gone' or 'I've still got my taste, but my hearing's going.' 

We don't know if it will affect other organ systems as it mutates.

I hope to encourage people to seek medical attention if they experience any hearing problems because early treatment can improve their chances of hearing recovery.

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