Coronavirus  could cause hearing loss

AFP,Paris  -The Covid-19 virus could cause a sudden and permanent hearing loss, said a medical group, accounting for the British “first case” in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

It is, however, a very rare symptom among the string of potential effects of Covid-19.

“Despite the considerable documentation on Covid-19 and the various symptoms associated with the virus, there is a lack of debate on the relationship between Covid-19 and hearing,” these experts warn in the specialized magazine, recommending that tests be carried out in hospitals, even in intensive care, to apply steroid-based treatment if necessary.

So far, only several cases have been reported in the world and the study authors report on a 45-year-old man treated for Covid-19 at a British hospital.

The patient, who also suffers from asthma, was admitted to intensive care, under artificial respiration. The doctors gave him a treatment based on redeliver (an antiviral), steroids and exchange of blood plasma.

His condition improved, but a week after he was released from the intensive care unit, he suddenly became deaf in his left ear. Tests determined that his ducts were not blocked and that his eardrums were intact. He was treated with corticosteroids but only partially recovered.

After ruling out other possible causes, doctors associated this hearing impairment with Covid-19, according to the magazine.

A t similar case was announced in April in Thailand.

The article’s authors note that SARS-CoV-2, which is installed in a particular cell type found in the lungs, was recently found in similar cells in the ear. The virus also generates an inflammatory reaction and an increase in the production of cytokines (a type of protein).