COVID-19 and the stress factors associated with the pandemic may worsen tinnitus, a sensation of buzzing or ringing in the ear, according to a recent study published in Frontiers in Public Health.
Researchers surveyed over 3,000 people with tinnitus across 48 countries and found COVID-19 symptoms intensified tinnitus in 40 percent of respondents. About 54 percent of people reported no change in their tinnitus, and 6 percent reported improvements. A total of 26 people out of the group tested positive for COVID-19, and 58 percent of them said it exacerbated their tinnitus.
Other social and emotional factors brought on by the pandemic, such as self-isolation, have worsened preexisting tinnitus in 32 percent of respondents, particularly in women and younger adults, according to the study. About 67 percent reported no changes related to the social and emotional consequences.
While most respondents already had tinnitus, seven people reported that COVID-19 initiated tinnitus.
In an earlier study published in the International Journal of Audiology, 15 percent of 138 hospitalized COVID-19 patients reported hearing impairments eight weeks after discharge, reports NBC.
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