Speaking to abc Zdrowie, Prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński acknowledges that hearing disorders may be among the long-term complications of COVID-19. Recent research published in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery shows that coronavirus can damage hearing.
Autopsies of three patients in the United States who died from COVID-19 revealed coronavirus in the middle ear and mastoid process, situated behind the external ear. In one patient, it infected both middle ears and both mastoid processes; in another, the entire right middle ear was affected.
‘We know from earlier reports that the virus accumulates heavily in the nasopharynx, and the Eustachian tube connects the middle ear with that area. Theoretically, the virus could travel through the tube into the ear. This is probably why it was found in these patients’ middle ears and mastoid processes, in very large quantities,’ explains Prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński.
The Professor emphasises that hearing disorders affect only patients with advanced disease and are never the sole symptom of coronavirus infection. He also highlights complications after COVID-19 that are increasingly discussed worldwide, including possible hearing impairment.
‘My concern is delayed hearing problems after coronavirus. The literature suggests that patients may experience hearing deterioration later, even months or a year after infection. Similar complications occur with other viruses that can enter the central nervous system, such as cytomegalovirus, which can cause progressive hearing loss leading to deafness,’ warns Prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński.
In the Professor’s opinion, viral accumulation in the ears, which may consequently cause hearing disorders, could be a particular threat to children.
Read the full interview via this link.