Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Post Coronavirus Disease: A Systematic Review of Case Reports

Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2022 Oct;74(Suppl 2):3028-3035. doi: 10.1007/s12070-021-02756-w. Epub 2021 Jul 10.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease of 2019 is a global pandemic disease severely affecting the upper respiratory tract that can be fatal in some instances. The virus most commonly affects the respiratory system. However, in certain cases it affects the other systems, including cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal, neurological, and auditory. Concerning the hearing and balance system, the microcirculation supply to the inner ear is hampered thus causing audiovestibular symptoms. Several case studies have reported sudden sensorineural hearing loss post-coronavirus disease and its detrimental impact on overall hearing. As both sudden sensorineural hearing loss and coronavirus disease deals with an emergency situation, there is a need to document case studies on how these individuals have been assessed and treated. The article has systematically reviewed these case reports involving a search strategy in databases like PubMed, PubMed Central, science direct, J-GATE, Google Scholar, and a manual Google Search.

Keywords: Intratympanic steroids; Neuritis; SARS-COV-2; Sudden sensorineural hearing loss; Systematic review.