Hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo among pediatric patients with COVID-19 infections: a review

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) is a rapidly spreading contagious respiratory disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) which manifests a plethora of health concerns. It may manifest with a wide range of clinical symptoms from no symptoms to respiratory failure and even multi-organ dysfunctions. The COVID-19 infection may present with otological manifestations such as hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and otalgia. The otological manifestations may be due to the involvement of the eustachian tube and cochlea by COVID-19 infections. The damaging effect of the COVID-19 infection on the inner ear is a new finding which is yet to be explored. Pure tone audiometry and impedance audiometry are two important investigations for auditory assessment among pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection. Although hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo are not common as fever and cough in COVID-19 patients, however, auditory-vestibular symptoms significantly affect the quality of life. Additionally, the anxiety associated with COVID-19 infections may attribute to aggravation of otoneurological symptoms like tinnitus. However, these otoneurological manifestations like hearing loss will affect the speech of the pediatric patients and result in morbid life in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Clinicians or pediatricians should be aware of the otoneurological manifestation in pediatric COVID-19 patients for early identification and management. This review article discusses the details of this epidemiology, etiopathology, assessment, and management of hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo among COVID-19 pediatric patients.

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AGE-RELATED ISSUES OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN HEARING IMPAIRED PATIENTS

Успехи геронтологии ◽

10.34922/ae.2020.33.5.008 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 885-892

Author(s):

Л. Е. Голованова ◽

Е. А. Огородникова ◽

Е. С. Лаптева ◽

М. Ю. Бобошко

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Pure Tone Audiometry ◽

Hearing Impaired ◽

Hearing Disorders ◽

Age Related ◽

Sf 36 ◽

Significant Difference

Целью исследования было изучение качества жизни лиц с нарушениями слуха в разных возрастных группах. Обследованы 100 пациентов, обратившихся в городской сурдологический центр для взрослых в связи с нарушением слуха: 50 человек - 34-59 лет, 50 - 60 лет и старше, из которых 32 человека были пожилого возраста (60-74 года)и 18 - старческого (75-86 лет). Степень тугоухости оценивали на основании результатов тональной пороговой аудиометрии. Для исследования качества жизни все пациенты заполняли общий опросник MOS SF-36, отражающий физический и психологический компоненты здоровья, а также специальный опросник HHIА(E)-S для лиц с нарушениями слуха. Установлено, что шкала HHIА(E)-S демонстрирует высокую корреляцию со степенью тугоухости у пациентов моложе 60 лет ( R =0,98; достоверность различий на уровне p <0,05), которая снижается у пациентов 60 лет и старше ( R =0,94; различия в оценках при разной степени тугоухости недостоверны). Значительные трудности в старшей возрастной группе могут быть связаны с тем, что людям пожилого и, особенно, старческого возраста сложно пользоваться слуховыми аппаратами (или они для них неэффективны) и оценивать свои затруднения по шкалам опросника. Целесообразно использовать шкалу HHIА(Е)-S в качестве скринингового инструмента для раннего выявления тугоухости, направления пациентов к сурдологу и своевременного слухопротезирования. The aim of the research was to study the quality of life in hearing impaired patients of different age. 100 patients referred to the city audiology centre because of their hearing disorders were examined: 50 patients from 34 to 59 years old and 50 patients from 60 years and older, from which 32 patients were of older age (60 to 74 years old) and 18 of oldest age (75 to 86 years old). A degree of hearing loss was assessed according to results of pure tone audiometry. To study the quality of life all patients ﬁlled in the questionnaire MOS SF-36, which evaluates physical and psychological components of health, and the questionnaire HHIA(E)-S, designed speciﬁcally for patients with hearing disorders. The HHIA(E)-S scale was found to show high correlation with hearing loss degree in patients younger than 60 years old ( R =0,98 with statistically signiﬁcant difference, p <0,05), with decreasing correlation in patients from 60 years and older ( R =0,98; no signiﬁcant difference while assessing various hearing loss degrees). Considerable difﬁculties in this age group may be explained by the fact, that older and especially oldest patients have a challenge with hearing aids usage (or they are of low efﬁciency for them) and with assessing theirs difﬁculties on the questionnaire scales. The HHIA(E)-S scale is useful as a screening tool for early detection of hearing loss, referral of patients to an audiologist and prompt hearing aid ﬁtting.

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Piezoelectric bone conduction hearing implant Osia® - audiological and quality of life benefits

Otolaryngologia Polska ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0014.9342 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 75 (4) ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Joanna Marszał ◽

Renata Gibasiewicz ◽

Magdalena Błaszczyk ◽

Maria Gawlowska ◽

Wojciech Gawęcki

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Bone Conduction ◽

Speech Understanding ◽

Mixed Hearing Loss ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Mean ◽

Bone Conduction Hearing

Introduction: Nowadays, there are many options to treat hearing-impaired patients: tympanoplastic surgery, hearing aids and a wide range of implantable devices. Objective: The aim of this study is to present the mid-term audiological and quality of life benefits after the implantation of the Osia®, a new active piezoelectric bone conduction hearing implant. Material and methods: The state of the tissues in implanted area, as well as audiological and quality of life results were analyzed six, nine and twelve months after implantation in a group of four adult patients with bilateral mixed hearing loss. Results: In all the cases, no postoperative complications were found. One year after surgery the mean audiological gain in FF PTA4 (pure tone average for 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz) was 52.2±3.5 dB in comparison to the unaided situation, the mean speech understanding with Osia® in quiet was 90±8.2% for 50dB SPL, 98.8±2.5% for 65dB SPL and 100±0% for 80dB SPL, and mean speech understanding with Osia® in noise was 37.5%±23.6 for 50dB SPL, 93.8±4.8% for 65dB SPL and 98.8±2.5% for 80dB SPL. There was also an evident improvement in the quality of hearing as well as in the quality of life, measured by the APHAB (Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit) and the SSQ (Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale). Conclusions: The Osia® is an effective treatment option for patients with bilateral mixed hearing loss. The mid-term audiological and quality of life results are excellent, but further observations including bigger groups of patients and a longer follow-up are required.

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Audiological Patterns in Patients with Autoimmune Hearing Loss

Audiology and Neurotology ◽

10.1159/000518694 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

George Psillas ◽

Grigorios G. Dimas ◽

Michalis Daniilidis ◽

Paris Binos ◽

Thomas Tegos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Human Leukocyte ◽

Progressive Hearing Loss ◽

Leukocyte Antigen ◽

Statistical Effect ◽

Hearing Recovery ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Vestibular Symptoms ◽

Autoimmune Hearing Loss

Introduction: The aim of this study was to illustrate clinical and audiological patterns of hearing impairment in patients with autoimmune hearing loss (AIHL). Methods: Fifty-three patients with AIHL were retrospectively recruited, and a tapering schema of steroid treatment was administered in all these patients. The diagnosis of AIHL was essentially based on clinical symptoms, such as recurrent, sudden (sensorineural hearing loss [SSHL]), fluctuating, or quickly progressing (<12 months) SSHL (uni-/bilateral), in association with the coexistence of autoimmune diseases, high antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and the presence of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B27, B35, B51, C04, and C07. Logistic regression analysis was applied to correlate the clinical data and laboratory features of AIHL with final outcomes. Results: The onset of AIHL was mainly progressive (49%), followed by SSHL (39.6%) or fluctuating (11.3%). The pure-tone audiogram showed more commonly a downsloping pattern (42.6% of ears), but also an upsloping, flat, cookie-bite, or inverse cookie-bite shape. Bilateral progressive AIHL was more frequently simultaneous (23 patients) than heterochronous (4 patients). Nineteen patients (35.8%) showed a favorable response to steroid therapy. The presence of recurrent, bilateral SSHL versus recurrent, unilateral SSHL had statistically negative effect on hearing recovery (OR = 0.042, p < 0.05). The heterochronous bilateral SSHL may have better prognosis than simultaneous bilateral SSHL (OR = 10.000, p = 0.099). The gender, age, concomitant autoimmune disease, high ANA, HLA alleles, tinnitus, and vestibular symptoms had no statistical effect on a favorable outcome of AIHL. Conclusions: A bilateral, simultaneous, and progressive hearing loss combined with downsloping audiogram occurred more often in patients with AIHL. Bilateral simultaneous SSHL with recurrences represents the worse prognostic form of AIHL.

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Acoustic neuroma with orofacial paresthesia: description of an atypical presentation

BMJ Case Reports ◽

10.1136/bcr-2019-232275 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. e232275

Author(s):

Chee Chean Lim ◽

Khairunnisak Misron ◽

Yew Toong Liew ◽

Eugene Hung Chih Wong

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Acoustic Neuroma ◽

Pure Tone Audiometry ◽

Sudden Onset ◽

Interesting Case ◽

Dental Procedure ◽

Atypical Symptoms ◽

Facial Numbness ◽

Vestibular Symptoms ◽

Asymmetric Hearing Loss

Acoustic neuroma (AN) usually manifests with asymmetric hearing loss, tinnitus, dizziness and sense of disequilibrium. About 10% of patients complain of atypical symptoms, which include facial numbness or pain and sudden onset of hearing loss. Patients with atypical symptoms also tend to have larger tumours due to the delay in investigation. We report a particularly interesting case of a patient presented to us with numbness over her right hemifacial region after a dental procedure without significant acoustic and vestibular symptoms. Physical examination and pure tone audiometry revealed no significant findings but further imaging revealed a cerebellopontine angle mass. The changing trends with easier access to further imaging indicate that the presentation of patients with AN are also changing. Atypical symptoms which are persistent should raise clinical suspicion of this pathology among clinicians.

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Tinnitus and Its Effect on the Quality of Life of Sufferers: A Nigerian Cohort Study

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/0194599817715257 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 157 (4) ◽

pp. 690-695 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Onyinyechi C. Ukaegbe ◽

Foster T. Orji ◽

Basil C. Ezeanolue ◽

James O. Akpeh ◽

Ijeoma A. Okorafor

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Pure Tone Audiometry ◽

Tertiary Hospital ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Symptom Duration ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Southeastern Nigeria ◽

The Mean

Objectives To evaluate the quality of life of patients with ongoing tinnitus. Study Design This was a cross-sectional study of patients with ongoing tinnitus. Setting The study was carried out in a tertiary hospital in southeastern Nigeria. Subjects and Methods Subjects are adults who presented to the otorhinolaryngology clinic with tinnitus as their primary complaint. Pure-tone audiometry, tinnitus pitch, and loudness matching were done. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire was used in assessing their quality of life. Results There were 63 participants within the age range of 16 to 74 years; 20 (31.7%) were male and 43 (68.3%) were female. The mean duration of tinnitus was 26.7 ± 38.1 months. Nineteen (30.2%) participants had bilateral tinnitus while 44 (69.8%) had unilateral tinnitus. The mean THI score was 36.6 ± 19.7. The most reported handicap was anxiety and difficulty with concentration followed by depression and irritability. There was no correlation between the disability shown by the THI score and the age, sex, duration of the tinnitus, the tinnitus pitch, tinnitus loudness, or the laterality of the tinnitus. There was a significant positive correlation between the grade of hearing loss and the level of disability reported in the THI ( P = .01). Conclusion Tinnitus sufferers appear to have poorer quality of life compared with nonsufferers. This quality-of-life affectation is likely to be worse in those with disabling hearing loss but does not appear to be related to their age, sex, symptom duration, or the loudness and pitch of their tinnitus.

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Quality of life measures in otitis media

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology ◽

10.1017/s0022215113000509 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 127 (5) ◽

pp. 442-447 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

E J Maile ◽

R Youngs

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Hearing Impairment ◽

Otitis Media ◽

Chronic Otitis Media ◽

Pure Tone Audiometry ◽

Quality Of Life Measures ◽

Generic Measures ◽

Disease Specific

AbstractDisabling hearing impairment is the world's most common disability. Traditionally, hearing levels measured by pure tone audiometry have been used to define and quantify hearing loss. The effects of disabling hearing loss on patients' quality of life can be profound, and audiometric data alone may not correlate with quality of life measures. Generic measures of quality of life can be used to compare different diseases, and as such are useful in resource allocation and burden of disease studies. Their disadvantage is that they are not disease-specific and can therefore under-estimate the effects of a disease on patients' quality of life. Disease-specific measures are more sensitive. In chronic otitis media, additional factors such as discharge augment the effect of hearing loss alone on quality of life. Many of the quality of life measures developed for chronic otitis media have been used to assess improvement following reconstructive surgery. Quality of life measures have also been used to assess the effect of paediatric otitis media. Quality of life measures also have utility in the developing world, where hearing impairment is a huge burden.

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Quality of life of tinnitus patients with and without hearing loss

International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery ◽

10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20205616 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 11

Author(s):

Oluyomi S. Ayodele ◽

Segun Segun-Busari Segun-Busari ◽

Kayodele H. Omokanye ◽

David A. Dunmade ◽

Emmanuel F. Ologe

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Pure Tone Audiometry ◽

Female Ratio ◽

Age Range ◽

The Relationship ◽

Male To Female ◽

Significant Health ◽

Moderate Hearing Loss

Background: Tinnitus is a common, irritating and often disturbing symptom. It poses big challenge to the patients’ management and affects their quality of life (QoL). Tinnitus is one of the most common otological symptoms associated with hearing loss. The aim of the study was to determine the quality of life of adult tinnitus patients and the effect presence of hearing loss has on the quality of life.Methods: All consenting adults presenting with tinnitus with or without associated hearing loss were recruited. Sociodemographic information, clinical assessment, pure tone audiometry (PTA) and QoL assessment with Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) were carried out. The data collected were analysed and results were presented in tables and simple chart. Results: The age range of participants was between 18 and 80 years with a mean age of 51.94 years±17.41. Male to female ratio was 1:1.4. The relationship between tinnitus and associated hearing loss was statistically significant with moderate hearing loss found as commonest. Sensorineural hearing loss was the commonest type found. Tinnitus was mostly described as a big problem. The relationship between the TFI scores and presence of hearing loss as well as degree of hearing loss was statistically significant.Conclusions: Tinnitus has a significant health burden which tends to increase with co-existing hearing loss. PTA assessment and measurement of QoL should be advocated as routine for tinnitus patients no matter the cause of tinnitus and also especially among those with self-professed normal hearing.

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Sneeze-induced pneumolabyrinth 15 years after stapedotomy

BMJ Case Reports ◽

10.1136/bcr-2021-243575 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (7) ◽

pp. e243575

Author(s):

Ya Fang Amanda Cheang ◽

Seng Beng Yeo

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Pure Tone Audiometry ◽

Semicircular Canals ◽

Acute Onset ◽

Sensorineural Hearing ◽

Upper Respiratory Tract ◽

Mixed Hearing Loss ◽

Hearing Thresholds ◽

History Of ◽

Vestibular Symptoms

Pneumolabyrinth refers to the presence of air within the inner ear and is a fairly common occurrence immediately after stapes surgery, but rarely occurs in a delayed manner years after the initial operation. We present a case of a patient with a history of left stapedotomy 15 years prior, who presented with acute onset vertigo, tinnitus and hearing loss in her operated ear. Her symptoms were preceded by an upper respiratory tract infection associated with bouts of sneezing. Examination revealed a spontaneous right beating nystagmus and positive head thrust to the left. Pure tone audiometry demonstrated a left mixed hearing loss which subsequently deteriorated to a profound sensorineural hearing loss. CT showed the presence of air within the left vestibule and semicircular canals. The patient underwent an exploratory tympanotomy and repair of perilymphatic leak with resolution of vestibular symptoms but no improvement in sensorineural hearing thresholds.

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Characterization of Clinical and Radiological Features of Quasi-Moyamoya Disease among European Caucasians Including Surgical Treatment and Outcome

Cerebrovascular Diseases ◽

10.1159/000448812 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 42 (5-6) ◽

pp. 464-475 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Güliz Acker ◽

Susanne Goerdes ◽

Peter Schmiedek ◽

Marcus Czabanka ◽

Peter Vajkoczy

Keyword(s):

Rare Disease ◽

Clinical Features ◽

Moyamoya Disease ◽

Pediatric Patients ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Pediatric Population ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Associated Diseases ◽

Wide Range

Background: Moyamoya disease (MMD) associated with a potentially underlying disease, such as genetic disorders or other coexisting hematological pathologies, is called quasi-MMD. This very rare disease has been characterized mainly in Asian countries, so far. As MMD reveals several significant ethnic differences, the question is raised whether characteristics of quasi-MMD would also vary among different ethnic backgrounds. Here, we report a series of 61 patients with quasi-MMD and highlight the specific clinical features of this rare disease among European Caucasians. Methods: We retrospectively identified 61 European Caucasians with quasi-MMD who were treated in our institution between 1997 and 2014. We analyzed demographic data, clinical symptoms, associated diseases, angiographic characteristics and functional hemodynamic studies. Results: Thirty-three percent of our patients were juvenile. We observed an overall female predominance of 2.8:1. Seventy-nine percent presented with a typical quasi-MMD with more pronounced unilateral and atypical quasi-MMD in pediatric population (unilateral/atypical: pediatric patients 20/15%, adults 7/7%). We identified a wide range of associated diseases. Overall, 84 and 8% of our cohort presented initially with ischemic and hemorrhagic manifestation, respectively. The hemorrhagic manifestation of quasi-MMD occurred however only in adults. Angiographic analysis revealed steno-occlusive involvement of the posterior circulation (in addition to the anterior circulation) in 31% with a higher involvement in pediatric patients (40%) compared to adults (27%). Conclusions: The characterization of our European Caucasian cohort reveals several differences when compared to reported Asian quasi-MMD cohorts and also compared to European Caucasian MMD cohort. We conclude that quasi-MMD represents a distinct disease with different ethnic clinical features.

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Explanining the vigor (relative and absolute) in seeds: the biological meaning behind the mathematician

Bioscience Journal ◽

10.14393/bj-v36n0a2020-48957 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 ◽

Author(s):

Vanderley José Pereira

Keyword(s):

Review Article ◽

Seed Vigor ◽

Mathematical Basis ◽

Biological Meaning ◽

Wide Range ◽

Normal Seedling ◽

Physiological Quality ◽

New Interpretation ◽

Viable Seeds

Seed vigor is the totality of all properties that determine a rapid and uniform emergence and development of normal seedling under a wide range of conditions. However, the physiological quality within a seed lot is not homogeneous, generating a quality gradient between seeds. Thus, the vigor expressed by the final percentage of normal seedlings tends to underestimate the quality of the batch, considering the total number of seeds. One possible method for correcting such an effect would be to weight vigor by germination, generating an index called relative vigor. The index reflects the “success” of viable seeds in maintaining their potential under stress. In this context, this review article proposes the possibility of using a new measure for vigor and new interpretation of relative vigor, as well as providing the mathematical basis for its use.

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