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Case Reports
. 2021 Aug;69(Suppl 2):92-95.
doi: 10.1007/s00106-021-01041-0. Epub 2021 May 21.

Deafness after COVID-19?

K Gerstacker  1 , I Speck  2 , S Riemann  2 , A Aschendorff  2 , A Knopf  2 , S Arndt  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Deafness after COVID-19?

K Gerstacker et al. HNO. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

This article presents a case of sudden bilateral deafness in the context of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) infection and resultant coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). After treatment in the intensive care unit for acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute kidney failure, hearing ability had drastically changed. While hearing had been subjectively normal before the infection, deafness was now measured on the left and profound hearing loss on the right ear. The patient was treated with cochlea implants on the left and a hearing aid in the right ear. The hearing loss is most likely a complication of COVID-19.

Keywords: Cochlear implantation; Cochlear implants; Coronavirus infections; Hearing aids; Hearing loss.

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Conflict of interest statement

K. Gerstacker, I. Speck, S. Riemann, A. Aschendorff, A. Knopf and S. Arndt declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Preoperative axial magnetic resonance imaging (T2 CISS3D): no signs of cochlear obliteration
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Preoperative pure-tone audiometry and Freiburg Speech Test after 53 days of intensive care and 1 week of steroid therapy
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Postoperative pure-tone audiometry and Freiburg Speech Test 4 months after CI surgery on the left side
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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