Boboshko MY, Garbaruk ES, Vikhnina SM, Golovanova LE, Ogorodnikova EA. [Speech intelligibility in adults after the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19)].
Vestn Otorinolaringol 2023;
88:15-21. [PMID:
38153888 DOI:
10.17116/otorino20238806115]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
The research was aimed to assess speech intelligibility in adults after the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), state of peripheral and central parts of auditory system and cognitive functions.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
26 people complaining about hearing loss, poor speech intelligibility and/or tinnitus after COVID-19 were examined. All the patients underwent the basic audiological assessment before COVID-19. Extended testing in patients after COVID-19 included: pure tone audiometry, impedancemetry, speech audiometry in quiet and noise (evaluation of monosyllabic words intelligibility and the Russian matrix sentence test RuMatrix), the alternating binaural speech test, the dichotic digits test and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
RESULTS
The most significant deviations from the normative values were obtained in the RuMatrix test and the dichotic digits test that may be due to both central auditory processing disorder and memory impairment. Low MoCA scores were obtained in 62% of patients.
CONCLUSION
Deterioration of speech intelligibility after COVID-19 was revealed, both in patients with hearing loss and with normal hearing that corresponded to their complaints. It may be caused by central auditory disorder, memory impairment or cognitive status lesion. The correlation found between the results of the RuMatrix test in noise and the severity of the COVID-19 may indicate the impact of the virus on the auditory cortex.
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