Audiological and vestibular symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 5-11 years

Google Trends Analysis of Otologic Symptom Searches Following COVID-19

Introduction

COVID-19 infection was accompanied by otologic symptoms, a pattern that was captured early by Google Trends. The objective of this study is to investigate searches for otologic symptoms and identify correlations with the pandemic onset.

Materials and Methods

Search interest for otologic symptoms was gathered using Google Trends from two years before and two years following the pandemic start date. A two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test was used to identify significant changes and effect size.

Results

In total, search interest for 14 terms was collected, with significant changes identified in 11. Six terms showed increased search interest, with the most significant rises observed for headache (r=0.589, p<0.001), dizziness (r=0.554, p<0.001), and tinnitus (r=0.410, p<0.001). Search interest decreased for five terms, with the most notable declines found in searches for migraine headache (r=0.35, p<0.001) and phonophobia (r=0.22, p=0.002). No significant changes were seen in ear pressure (p=0.142), neck pain (p=0.935), and sudden hearing loss (p=0.863) searches.

Conclusion

COVID-19 infection is often accompanied otologic symptoms and holds a diagnostic role. Fluctuating search interest may be attributed to a true increase in cases, media trends, or people's desires to stay informed. Google Trends robustly captured trends in search interest and presented itself as a valuable epidemiological tool.

Otitis Media With Effusion After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Return to the Past and New Lessons

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence of otitis media with effusion (OME) among children who attended a tertiary level audiologic center 2 and 3 years after the COVID-19 lockdown, and to determine the impact of temporary interruption of day care center attendance on chronic OME.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

Tertiary level referral audiologic center.

METHODS

We assessed the prevalence of OME among children aged 6 months to 12 years in 3 different periods (May-June 2022, January-February 2023, and May-June 2023) and compared the results with those of the corresponding periods before the COVID-19 lockdown. We also compared the disease resolution rates between a subgroup of children with chronic OME who interrupted day care center attendance for a 2-month period (Subgroup A) and a similar subgroup who continued attending day care centers (Subgroup B).

RESULTS

The prevalence of OME was 38.5% (138/358) in May-June 2022, 51.9% (193/372) in January-February 2023, and 40.9% (149/364) in May-June 2023. No significant prevalence differences were observed between the periods May-June 2019, May-June 2022, and May-June 2023 (P = .78), and between the periods January-February 2020 and January-February 2023 (P = .93). At the May-June 2023 assessment, the children belonging to Subgroup A presented a greater rate of disease resolution (85.7%, 18/21) than the children belonging to Subgroup B (32%, 8/25, P < .001).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that the prevalence of OME has returned to prelockdown levels, and that interrupting day care center attendance for a 2-month period could be effective in resolving most cases of chronic OME.

Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) Vaccine Among Adolescents (Aged 12-15 Years): An Observational Study in Qatar

In May 2021, Qatar launched the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine campaign for adolescents aged 12 to 15 years across all 27 health centers. Our study assessed the safety and efficacy of the vaccine among vaccinated and nonvaccinated adolescents in Qatar. Using a retrospective observational study, we analyzed the medical records of 1956 adolescents who were severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive from June 17 to December 17, 2021. The mean age for the vaccinated group was 13.89 ± 0.93 years, and for the nonvaccinated group, it was 12.99 ± 0.93 years. In the vaccinated group, 46% were male (n = 185) compared with 53% in the nonvaccinated group (n = 827) and 54% were female in the vaccinated group (n = 217) versus 47% in the nonvaccinated group (n = 727). Our findings demonstrate satisfactory protection provided by the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, with only one fifth of the study population contracting SARS-CoV-2 infections after the double-dose regimen. These results highlight the importance of maximizing vaccination coverage and considering booster doses for adolescents to enhance protection.

Association between COVID-19 and sensorineural hearing loss: Evidence from a Mendelian randomization study in European and East Asian population

BACKGROUND

Long coronavirus disease (COVID), characterized by persistent and sometimes debilitating symptoms following a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, has garnered increasing attention as a potential public health crisis. Emerging evidence indicates a higher incidence of hearing loss in individuals who have had COVID 2019 (COVID-19) compared to the general population. However, the conclusions were inconsistent, and the causal relationship between COVID-19 and sensorineural hearing loss remains unknown.

METHODS

To addresses this outstanding issue, we performed Mendelian randomization analysis to detect the causal association between COVID-19 and hearing loss using the largest genome-wide association study data to date in the European population and confirmed the results in the East Asian population. Comprehensively sensitive analyses were followed, including Cochran's Q test, Mendelian randomization (MR)-Egger intercept test, MR-pleiotropy residual sum and outlier, and leave-one-out analysis, to validate the robustness of our results.

RESULTS

Our results suggested that there is no causal association between COVID-19 and the risk of hearing loss in the European population. Neither the susceptibility, hospitalization, and severity of COVID-19 on hearing loss (inverse variance weighted method: odds ratio (OR) = 1.046, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.907-1.205, p = .537; OR = 0.995, 95% CI = 0.956-1.036, p = .823; OR = 0.995, 95% CI = 0.967-1.025, p = .76). Replicated analyses in the East Asian population yielded consistent results. No pleiotropy and heterogeneity were found in our results.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, our MR results do not support a genetically predicted causal relationship between COVID-19 and sensorineural hearing loss. Thus, the associations observed in prior observational studies may have been influenced by confounding factors rather than a direct cause-and-effect relationship. More clinical and mechanism research are needed to further understand this association in the future.

Post-COVID-19 Syndrome: Audiometric Findings in Patients with Audiological Symptoms

Since the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic, the possibility of audiological involvement by this virus has been speculated without being able to generate a true cause-effect relationship. The objective of this observational, descriptive cross-sectional study is to describe the audiometric findings of post-COVID-19 patients with audiological symptoms. A sample of 47 patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 infection was included: The age range was between 18 and 50 years old, the mean age was 37.0 years with a standard deviation of ±8.3 years, and 32 patients (68.1%) were female and 15 male patients (31.9%). Patients were recruited by the Otolaryngology service at Civil Fray Antonio Mayor Hospital from September 2020 to December 2022. Tonal audiometry was performed in a window of no more than 3 months from the onset of symptoms. The Chi-square test was used and odds ratios (OR) were established to associate the variables of post-COVID-19 audiological symptoms and the prevalence of hearing loss. A 95% confidence interval (CI) and statistical significance were considered of p ≤ 0.05. The audiological symptoms presented a prevalence of 74.4% for a sensation of ear fullness, 59.6% for tinnitus, and 51.1% for a sensation of hearing loss.

Comment on Manchaiah et al. Social Representations of "Tinnitus" and "Health" among Individuals with Tinnitus Seeking Online Psychological Interventions. Audiol. Res. 2023, 13, 207-220

We read with pleasure the interesting paper titled "Social Representations of "Tinnitus" and "Health" among Individuals with Tinnitus Seeking Online Psychological Interventions" by Vinaya Manchaiah et al. [...].

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss after receiving an inactivated viral vaccine, Sinopharm: Two-case report

The prevalence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 is a global threat. Due to the high mortality rate caused by this disease, the vaccination is mandatory to protect patients against it and reduce the mortality. Rapid development and widespread use of vaccines have raised the possibility of adverse side effects over the course of administration and follow-up. In this study, we investigated an adverse event of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in two patients receiving first dose of Sinopharm, an inactivated viral vaccine. Both patients experienced sudden hearing loss in their left ear some days after receiving the first dose of the Sinopharm and had normal otoscopic examinations in both ears and mild to severe sensorineural hearing loss was reported in the left ear. After imaging evaluation with magnetic resonance imaging which showed no pathologic points. Two patients were treated with prednisolone and valacyclovir. Both patients experienced response and had good prognosis in their follow-up. Our study showed that there is no direct evidence of an association between Coronavirus Disease 2019 vaccination. A viral infection can cause sudden sensorineural hearing loss and should be considered as a possible side effect after vaccination. Although the number of side effects reported in clinical trials has been very low, long-term follow-up of patients is needed to assess the vaccine's safety, given the incidence of these cases.

Tinnitus, Aural Fullness, and Hearing Loss in a Patient with Acoustic Neuroma and Pituitary Macroadenoma

We report the case of a 51-year-old woman with multiple otologic and vestibular symptoms. She presented with two different types of tinnitus in her right ear, vertigo, and fluctuating aural symptoms in the left ear. She also complained of disequilibrium; chronic headache; hyperhidrosis; amenorrhea; insomnia; broadened hands and feet; and widened, thickened, and stubby fingers. The patient underwent careful collection of medical history, otomiscroscopy, pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, reflex threshold measurements, vestibular assessments, blood tests, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and cone beam computed tomography (CBTC) of the head. The audiogram showed: (1) a mild low-to-mid frequency conductive hearing loss, and a sharply sloping sensorineural hearing loss above 4000 Hz in the right ear; (2) a mild low-frequency sensorineural hearing loss in the left ear. MRI with 3D FLAIR sequences detected an acoustic neuroma (7.4 mm × 5.2 mm) in the middle-third of the right internal auditory canal, a pituitary macroadenoma (13 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm) and left saccular hydrops. The CBCT scan documented an outbreak of otosclerosis (3 mm) around the fissula ante fenestram in the right ear. Therefore, acoustic neuroma (right ear), growth hormone-secreting macroadenoma of the pituitary gland, Menière’s disease (left ear), and otosclerosis (right ear) were diagnosed/strongly suspected. A watch-and-wait strategy was adopted for acoustic neuroma and otosclerosis, while transsphenoidal surgery was successfully performed to remove the pituitary macroadenoma. This case report confirms that multiple otologic disorders can occur simultaneously in the same patient, requiring prompt audiological and imaging evaluations.