PEOPLE with Covid-19 are suffering from three symptoms not listed by the NHS, experts have warned. Researchers have said that an “urgent clinical review” is needed after studies revealed that symptoms such as tinnitus, vertigo and hearing loss were present in a large number of people infected with the virus. The NHS states that the […]
PEOPLE with Covid-19 are suffering from three symptoms not listed by the NHS, experts have warned.
Researchers have said that an “urgent clinical review” is needed after studies revealed that symptoms such as tinnitus, vertigo and hearing loss were present in a large number of people infected with the virus.
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The NHS states that the three main symptoms of Covid-19 are a new persistent cough, a loss of taste and smell and a high temperature.
It’s important that if you have any of these symptoms then you should get a test and isolate – this is to avoid you spreading the virus to others.
Experts previously reported a link between hearing loss and Covid-19, as many patients with long Covid had experienced hearing loss for months after contracting the virus.
Tinnitus is usually caused by an ear injury, age-related hearing loss or an underlying health condition.
Experts at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) along with the British Tinnitus and American Tinnitus Associations previously found that 40 per cent of people displaying symptoms of Covid were also experiencing a worsening of their tinnitus.
Now experts at the University of Manchester say that there is a strong association between Covid-19, hearing loss and a loss of balance.
Researchers reviewed 56 studies which revealed that 7.6 per cent of people had hearing loss, 14.8 per cent had tinnitus and 7.2 per cent experienced vertigo.
They say that while a casual link has not been proved to these three symptoms – it is already known that other serious viruses have the ability to damage hearing.
The findings come after a year-long study into the effects on hearing of patients who had been hospitalised with Covid.
Hearing loss is a common conditions seen by ear, nose and throat specialists and each year there are around five to 160 cases per 100,000 people reported.
It’s not always clear what the cause is but it can be anything from old age to viral infections such as the flu.
Writing in the International Journal of Audiology, Professor Kevin Munro, who led the study at the University of Manchester, said: “There is an urgent need for a carefully conducted clinical and diagnostic study to understand the long-term effects of Covid-19 on the auditory system.
“It is also well-known that viruses such as measles, mumps and meningitis can cause hearing loss; little is understood about the auditory effects of the Sars-Cov-2 virus.”
Tinnitus is a medical term to describe the perception of noise either in one ear, both ears or in the head, when there is no corresponding external sound.
It is often described as a “ringing in the ears” but the exact sound heard can vary from person to person.
The sounds most commonly experienced include a ringing, buzzing, whistling, humming or hissing sound.
These perceived sounds may come and go or be continuous and the condition can develop suddenly or over time.
In the majority of cases, some may only notice the condition at quiet times, including at night when they are trying to sleep.
But, others may find that the condition intrudes upon their daily life and really bothers them.
There are two types of tinnitus.
Subjective tinnitus is the most common type.
This is where the sounds are only heard by the person who has tinnitus and is usually linked to problems affecting the hearing pathway.
Objective tinnitus is the second type and is much rarer.
This kind of tinnitus sound can be heard by other people too, for example, a doctor listening through a stethoscope placed by your ear.
Objective tinnitus is caused by a physical problem that produces sound – such as the narrowing of blood vessels in your ear
In order to conduct studies into hearing and the link to Covid-19, experts looked at medical records and questionnaires relating to Covid symptoms, rather than traditional hearing tests.
King’s College London previously published a list of 170 long Covid symptoms which also included hearing strange sounds at night, tinnitus, buzzing in the ears and ear popping.
In the UK around one in eight adults suffer from tinnitus and it can be associated with anxiety, depression and reduced emotional wellbeing.
It was also recently reported that vertigo and dizziness were symptoms some Covid sufferers have experienced.
