{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T10:10:16Z","timestamp":1790763016191,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,4]],"date-time":"2024-09-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1725408000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is an otological emergency that requires prompt recognition and intervention to prevent devastating impacts on people\u2019s lives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sensory deprivations have been reported in patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus, including deleterious effects on the auditory pathway. This study aims to describe the audiological profile of individuals with SSNHL during the COVID-19 pandemic and to correlate hearing recovery in subgroups of individuals with or without COVID-19.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Prospective cohort including patients diagnosed with SSNHL evaluated in a tertiary care center between March 2020 and September 2022. Hearing loss was confirmed with pure-tone and speech audiometry, with Speech Recognition Threshold (SRT) and word recognition score (WRS). Audiometric testing was performed at the moment of diagnosis, then 7, 30 and 120\u2009days after diagnosis. The average degree of hearing loss was assessed by calculating the 4-frequency pure tone average (4fPTA). The investigation of COVID-19 included RT-PCR technique for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and collection of information regarding disease severity. A statistical analysis was performed using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model to compare the 4fPTA between the four groups (with and without a history of COVID-19, unilateral and bilateral cases) at the end of the follow-up period.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Fifty-two patients with SSNHL were assessed, 40 (76.9%) with unilateral and 12 (23.1%) with bilateral hearing loss, totaling 64 ears included. Of those, 15 (28.8%) patients tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and were symptomatic for COVID-19. Of all unilateral cases, 22.5% were seropositive and showed symptoms of COVID-19, a number that increased to 50% for bilateral cases. Comparing the COVID-19 positive groups, individuals with unilateral SSNHL went from 40\u2009dB as their average 4fPTA at onset to 20\u2009dB as their average 4fPTA after 120\u2009days, whereas those with bilateral SSNHL went from an initial average of 60\u2009dB to a final average of 66\u2009dB. Although the 4fPTA value of individuals with unilateral SSNHL improved in 7\u2009days, the mean values showed no significant difference between positive and negative groups. There was a higher incidence of bilateral simultaneous SSNHL in patients who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and who presented with symptoms of severe COVID-19.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Infection with SARS-CoV-2 resulted in more severe SSNHL, in bilateral SSNHL, and in poorer recovery from SSNHL in bilateral cases. Bilateral SSNHL was seen more frequently in patients who had not received vaccination against COVID-19.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2024.1415068","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,4]],"date-time":"2024-09-04T04:42:44Z","timestamp":1725424964000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Sudden sensorineural hearing loss: audiological profile during the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Kelly Abdo","family":"Peron","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marina Can\u00e7ado Passarelli","family":"Scott","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tracy Lima Tavares","family":"Soeiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"J\u00f4natas Bussador","family":"do Amaral","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sujana S.","family":"Chandrasekhar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Norma","family":"de Oliveira Penido","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S1","DOI":"10.1177\/0194599819859885","article-title":"Clinical practice guideline: sudden hearing loss (update)","volume":"161","author":"Chandrasekhar","year":"2019","journal-title":"Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"87","DOI":"10.1016\/j.otohns.2006.05.015","article-title":"Bilateral versus unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss","volume":"136","author":"Oh","year":"2007","journal-title":"Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1347","DOI":"10.1097\/00005537-199611000-00008","article-title":"Sudden bilateral sensorineural hearing loss","volume":"106","author":"Fetterman","year":"1996","journal-title":"Laryngoscope"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1177\/003591570800100904","article-title":"Effect of treatment in a case of sudden deafness occurring whilst the patient was under treatment for tertiary syphilis","volume":"1","author":"Lake","year":"1908","journal-title":"Proc R Soc Med"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"407","DOI":"10.3109\/00016484409119921","article-title":"Sudden complete or partial loss of function of the octavus-system in apparently normal persons","volume":"32","author":"De","year":"1944","journal-title":"Acta Otolaryngol"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"963","DOI":"10.1177\/000348945706600406","article-title":"Sudden perceptive deafness and viral infection; report of the first one hundred patients","volume":"66","author":"Van Dishoeck","year":"1957","journal-title":"Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"52","DOI":"10.1159\/000111048","article-title":"Sudden deafness: Is it viral?","volume":"70","author":"Merchant","year":"2008","journal-title":"ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1165","DOI":"10.1097\/00005537-199709000-00003","article-title":"Molecular temporal bone pathology: II. 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