The effect of coronavirus disease 2019 on the hearing system

Objective This study aimed to evaluate different auditory regions with audiological tests, based on the presumption that there may be damage to the structures in the hearing system after coronavirus disease 2019. Methods Twenty individuals with no history of coronavirus disease 2019 and 27 individuals diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 were compared. Pure tone, speech and extended high-frequency audiometry, acoustic immitansmetry, transient evoked and distortion product otoacoustic emissions testing, and auditory brainstem response testing were conducted. Results The pure tone audiometry and extended high-frequency mean threshold values were higher in the coronavirus disease 2019 group. The transient evoked otoacoustic emissions signal-to-noise ratios were bilaterally lower at 4 kHz in individuals with a coronavirus disease 2019 history. In the auditory brainstem response test, only the interpeak latencies of waves III-V were significantly different between groups. Conclusion Coronavirus disease 2019 may cause damage to the hearing system. Patients should be followed up in the long term with advanced audiological evaluation methods in order to determine the extent and level of damage.