Long COVID and Tinnitus:
How worried should we be?
As Coronavirus continues to ravage its way through countries, scientists and researchers are becoming increasingly alarmed at the link between the virus and the onset of tinnitus.
By Sam Teesdale
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A continuous cough, high temperature or a loss of the sense of smell and taste. These are the tell-tale signs of a Covid-19 infection. Symptoms that the country and indeed the world are all too familiar with, more than a year into the pandemic.
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As the pandemic progresses and scientists find more symptoms and issues linked to Covid-19, it seems increasingly likely that tinnitus is not only being negatively affected by the pandemic - but in some cases, Covid is causing tinnitus.
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This was the case for Pamela Powling. She tested positive for Coronavirus on 21 December 2020 and suffered flu-like symptoms in the days leading up to Christmas. However, she soon noticed something strange was happening to her hearing.
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“My Tinnitus started around three weeks after I caught Covid. I had flu-like symptoms and I lost some hearing in my right ear. I then noticed a buzzing in the right side of my head, which I thought was coming from the ear, then I realised it was inside the brain.
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“The virus started my tinnitus, as I had never experienced tinnitus before. It was quite frightening at first. I had an ear infection 3 and a half years ago, but that was because of a build-up of wax. That was not the case this time.”
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Coronavirus infections - even mild ones - are purported to cause tinnitus in people with no prior history of the condition. (Image: Wix)
"It's well known that viruses can damage hearing"
Pam explains how she longs for silence.​ “My tinnitus is sometimes like a plane taking off, or the highest setting on the washing machine. I savour the rare moment that it’s quiet.
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“If it gets too bad during the day time, I’ll try to keep myself occupied and busy. I sometimes take Sudafed tablets when I get a really bad headache, or at night I have a mug of Horlicks before bed which helps me sleep.”
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Growing reports
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Reports began to surface in the spring of 2020, that a coronavirus infection - even a mild one - was causing tinnitus in people who had never experienced it before. Researchers immediately investigated these reports, in the hope to find a definitive link between Covid and tinnitus.
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Professor Kevin Munro is a world-leading Professor of Audiology at the University of Manchester. He has also previously served as the chairman of the British Society of Audiology. ​
“It's well known that viruses can damage hearing, both in adults and in children. None of the older Coronaviruses, such as SARS in 2002 and MERS in 2012, have been known to cause hearing problems.
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“But with this new virus, there's a growing number of reports that people are complaining of some changes in their hearing. There are lots of people now, with Covid, that are reporting tinnitus.”
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Professor Munro and his team at the University of Manchester completed a year-long study, which aimed to find a definitive link between the virus and tinnitus
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The findings show that 15% of people who had Covid, reported tinnitus.
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Professor Munro adds that although there is a substantial amount of evidence for Covid related tinnitus, it isn’t of the highest quality and validity.
“There's lots of evidence that Covid is causing tinnitus, but it's not necessarily the strongest quality of evidence right now. I think there's little doubt that hearing is being damaged, I just don't know how frequent it is in the general population.”
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Research from the University of Manchester reveals the link between COVID-19 and Tinnitus. (Image: VitaStudents)
The study suggests that it is likely that the cochlear, the shell-shaped bone that converts sound into electrical signals, suffers damage due to the immune system’s fight against the virus.
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Antibodies, made by our own immune system to fight the virus, may ‘misidentify’ and attack the inner ear, resulting in hearing loss and tinnitus.
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The NHS now recognises tinnitus as an official symptom of Long-Covid. Additional research is needed to estimate exactly how much of the UK's population suffers tinnitus as a result of Covid.
If the levels of Covid-related-tinnitus is to be mitigated, then the success of Britain’s vaccination programme is more imperative than ever.
Pandemic is 'significantly' affecting pre-exisiting tinnitus
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Eldre Beukes, a renowned Clinical Research Audiologist at Anglia Ruskin University, investigated the effects that the pandemic had on people already living with tinnitus.
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She led an extensive, global study that spanned 48 countries and 3000 participants. The study assessed how different aspects of the pandemic, such as social distancing, lockdowns and loneliness, affected the severity of tinnitus.
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Eldre explains her interest in the relationship between the pandemic and tinnitus.
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“I didn't know if some of the positive things about lockdown, like the world being quieter, would actually help some people with tinnitus. But then, maybe that quietness would make things worse for others.”
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The evidence is clear: The pandemic is making severe tinnitus worse.
The graph shows that people reporting ‘very bothersome’ or ‘extremely bothersome’ tinnitus before the pandemic, suffered considerably worse during the pandemic.
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According to the study, 192 people said they were suffering from ‘extremely bothersome’ tinnitus before the pandemic began.
As the pandemic progressed, the number of people suffering extremely bothersome tinnitus increased to 356 - an increase of 85%.
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“Emotional distress was one of the main consequences of the pandemic for people with tinnitus", Eldre says.
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“Not everyone was more anxious and more stressed - but for those that were, it's likely their tinnitus was worse.”
Masks, Homeschooling and social distancing quickly became the norm.
(Image: Sam Teesdale)
Stress and worries concerning lockdowns and a lack of the usual support mechanisms (such as support groups and counselling) led to an exacerbation of tinnitus.
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“Research shows that there's a bi-directional relationship with tinnitus; i.e the more anxious you get, the worse your tinnitus gets. Then the worse your tinnitus is, the worse your stress and anxiety get.
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“A lot of people in the study reported increased anxiety, depression and irritability - It's because there's such a big tie between emotional wellbeing and tinnitus.
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“They do affect each other. Tinnitus activates the same emotional centres in the brain as pain, like the limbic system,” Eldre explains.
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The study also reveals that females are suffering ‘significantly’ worse tinnitus than males, during the pandemic.
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“We found tinnitus was more severe during the pandemic for females - and I don't know why. It just looked like a lot of the females in our study had a more difficult role.
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Added responsibilities, such as homeschooling, significantly increased pressure on women during the pandemic. (Image: Wix)
“They reported doing a lot more housework, homeschooling, all of those jobs - it just looked like a lot of the burden fell on them. It was a risk factor, being a female was one of the risks for reporting tinnitus worsening - it was the same for younger adults too.”
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Nightclubs, pubs, noisy commutes and busy restaurants were routine parts of the lives of young people. When lockdown was imposed, however, that old way of life ceased.
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Eldre explained that this lack of distraction and lack of noise was a significant factor in the worsening of tinnitus amongst young people.
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“The lives of older people didn't change dramatically, as it did for a lot of younger people. Young people typically commute to work every day and lead busy lives. Then, they found themselves suddenly being at home or being furloughed - alone with the sound of their tinnitus.”
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The coronavirus pandemic changed every aspect of modern life imaginable; tinnitus was no different.