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J Am Acad Audiol
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1790278
Research Article

COVID-19 and Hearing: Pure Tone, Speech, and High-Frequency Audiometry

Nuriye Yildirim Gökay 
1   Department of Audiology, Gazi University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ankara, Türkiye
,
Gökçen Cesur Aksoy 
2   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Gazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Türkiye
,
Recep Karamert 
2   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Gazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Türkiye
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Abstract

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its effects on hearing performance have been an interesting topic for researchers recently.

Purpose The objective of this study was to assess the audiological profile of people affected by COVID-19 and also to compare them with a control group who has never had COVID-19.

Research Design An experimental study.

Study Sample The study group consisted of 54 participants, aged 18 to 60, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 by polymerase chain reaction and recovered at least 2 months prior to audiological assessment. The control group consisted of 60 subjects in the same age range who did not have a history of COVID-19 or hearing loss.

Data Collection and Analysis Post-COVID audiological data were compared. The pre-COVID-19 audiological data of 43 subjects in the study group were also compared with their post-COVID-19 data. All participants were evaluated with pure tone audiometry, acoustic immittancemetry, speech audiometry, and high-frequency audiometry.

Results Pure tone hearing thresholds, speech recognition and discrimination scores, and high-frequency hearing thresholds were all statistically different between the study and control groups (p < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences between the study group's pure tone hearing thresholds before and after COVID-19 (p < 0.05).

Conclusion COVID-19 can adversely affect hearing performance. Further studies including auditory brainstem response, otoacoustic emissions, and similar cross-check tests are needed to reveal further effects of COVID-19 on hearing.

Keywords

COVID-19 - hearing - high-frequency hearing loss

Data Availability Statement

The research data associated with a paper are available on the corresponding author and the data can be shared when necessary.




Publication History

Received: 07 August 2023

Accepted: 19 November 2023

Article published online:
02 December 2024

© 2024. American Academy of Audiology. This article is published by Thieme.

Thieme Medical Publishers
333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

 

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