Can COVID-19 Cause Tinnitus? – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic
Imagine constantly hearing a ringing in one ear, both ears or even in your head. It might last for a few seconds or it might go on for minutes. You wish it would stop, but it won’t. It’s so maddening that it interferes with every aspect of your life. What was just described is called tinnitus and for more than 45 million Americans, it’s a daily struggle to live with it.
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Imagine constantly hearing a ringing in one ear, both ears or even in your head. It might last for a few seconds or it might go on for minutes. You wish it would stop, but it won’t. It’s so maddening that it interferes with every aspect of your life. What was just described is called tinnitus and for more than 45 million Americans, it’s a daily struggle to live with it.
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There have been numerous reports of hearing-related issues popping up as a result of COVID-19. Tinnitus was one of those conditions. But can we make the connection based on what we know so far? Sarah Sydlowski, AuD, PhD, MBA, helps us gain a better understanding of what tinnitus is and the available treatment options.
What is tinnitus?
“Tinnitus is most commonly a ringing in the ear, but it can be any kind of sound that you perceive when there isn’t an actual sound being produced. Some people experience musical tinnitus — they’ll hear a song over and over again. Others may hear ringing, roaring, buzzing or whooshing. What is being heard originates from somewhere else within your system,” says Dr. Sydlowski.
While the scientific community still doesn’t have a complete understanding of tinnitus, Dr. Sydlowski compares it to when someone loses a limb and experiences phantom pain in that area. The body is missing the input that it used to get from the lost part and is still expecting it.
“Commonly, tinnitus is the result of your inner ear (cochlea) being damaged in some way. When this happens, the cochlea doesn’t stop working. It still tries to function so you’re able to hear certain sounds. And when your inner ear isn’t working correctly, it starts producing sounds to replace what you’re supposed to hear naturally. It’s a phantom sound.”
How tinnitus can be a sign of hearing loss
Your cochlea is a series of tubes that are full of thousands and thousands of tiny, little sensory cells. These cells are like blades of grass that move hearing signals up to the brain. But when they’re damaged, the sensory cells fail to move things along in the manner that they should. Your hearing can become quite poor once many of the cells have been damaged.
But tinnitus isn’t always the final sign of hearing trouble. Dr. Sydlowski says that in some cases, it can precede hearing loss.
“Tinnitus can sometimes be a precursor even if you haven’t noticed that your hearing has …….
Source: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-covid-19-cause-tinnitus/
