Covid may cause sudden, permanent hearing loss – UK study

Study team says Covid-19 patients in intensive care should be asked about hearing loss

Nicola Davis Science correspondent
@NicolaKSDavis
Tue 13 Oct 2020 23.30 BST

Covid-19 may cause sudden and permanent hearing loss, experts have found, adding that such problems need early detection and urgent treatment.

The coronavirus has been found to affect the body in myriad ways, from a loss of taste and smell to organ damage.

Now doctors have reported fresh evidence that Covid could also affect hearing.

Writing in the journal BMJ Case Reports, experts at University College London report the case of a 45-year-old man with asthma who was admitted to intensive care with Covid, ventilated, and given drugs including the antiviral remdesivir and intravenous steroids.

A week after leaving intensive care he developed a ringing sound – tinnitus – and then hearing loss in his left ear.

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