– Coronavirus affects our hearing negatively. There are already the first scientific reports that show that the presence of the virus is also found in the middle ear – said Director World Hearing Center in Kajetany prof. Henryk Skarżyński.
COVID-19 and hearing
– Previous reports show that this virus can cause permanent changes in the lower respiratory tract. (…) In contrast to the smell or taste disorders, hearing disorders may only occur in patients who are more ill with COVID-19 – explained Director Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, World Hearing Center in Kajetany.
Prof. Skarżyński noted that “there are already the first scientific reports that show that the presence of the coronavirus is also found in the middle ear and mastoid processes (part of the temporal bone behind the turbinate)”.
– I think this location is not accidental. There is a possibility that the virus can travel through the Eustachian tube to the middle ear, he explained.
– Young patients seem to be at risk of hearing impairment caused by the coronavirus. In children, the Eustachian tube is arranged more horizontally, it is more open than in adults, so the coronavirus can more easily penetrate from the nasopharynx into the middle ear, he said.
He noted that “edema changes in the nasopharynx caused by the virus have an impact on the functioning of the Eustachian tubes and deterioration of hearing”.
Prof. Skarżyński emphasized that “in the environment of otolaryngologists there is a discussion about the side effects occurring in patients undergoing various treatment regimens (coronavirus – PAP)”.
– One of the drugs used in COVID-19 is an older generation antimalarial drug that causes permanent damage to hearing. Most likely, the use of these drugs in patients with SARS-CoV-2 will also result in mild or moderate hearing impairment – he assessed in an interview for Nasz Dziennik.
gj/ krap/PAP
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