Sudden sensorineural hearing loss and coronavirus disease 2019

Objective: To determine if otolaryngologists and audiologists of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery have noticed an increase in the incidence of sudden sensorineural hearing loss during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Methods: A questionnaire was developed for the purpose of providing a cross-sectional descriptive analysis of perceived association between the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and an increase in the incidence of sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Results: Of respondents, 63.0 per cent did not notice an increase in sudden sensorineural hearing loss during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. There was a weak positive correlation between patients identified with sudden sensorineural hearing loss and the percentage of coronavirus disease 2019 positive patients reported by each medical care provider (Spearman correlation = 0.20, 95 per cent confidence interval = 0.05-0.33). There was no association between geographical location and perceived increase in sudden sensorineural hearing loss (p = 0.38).

Conclusion: The majority of respondents did not perceive an increase in the incidence of sudden sensorineural hearing loss during the coronavirus pandemic, regardless of geographical region.