Browsing by Author "Guedes, Daniela Martins"
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- Inner Ear Manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination: A Systematic ReviewPublication . Guedes, Daniela Martins; Teles, Rafaela da Cruz Vieira VelosoBackground: COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, was declared a pandemic by WHO in 2020, causing lockdowns and disrupting daily life. Although its most common symptoms are well-known (flu-like symptoms), vestibular and auditory manifestations have been widely described in case reports/series. This may be linked to neurotropic involvement or inner ear viral invasion and/or immunological and inflammatory responses. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to explore the possible relationship of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination with the onset of neurosensorial hearing loss, tinnitus, dizziness and vertigo. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in “PubMed” and “Scopus” to identify studies reporting sensorineural hearing loss (including sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL)), tinnitus, dizziness and vertigo associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination. After screening titles, abstracts and methods, eligible full texts were reviewed, and relevant data were extracted and synthesized narratively. Results: A total of 13 articles were reviewed. The most investigated inner ear manifestation both after infection and after vaccination was sensorineural hearing loss (especially SSNHL), followed by tinnitus and dizziness/vertigo. Tinnitus was frequently referred as an accompanying symptom of either SSNHL or vertigo. Only one study presented a statistically significant relationship between sensorineural hearing loss and SARS-CoV-2 infection. All the remaining 12 studies did not obtain statistically significant results regarding the relationship of the symptoms previously mentioned and the SARSCoV-2 infection/ COVID-19 vaccination. However, suggestive trends should still be considered and further investigated. Conclusions: Although evidence remains limited due to heterogeneity of studies, in the current moment the association between inner ear symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination does not seem to be very relevant. Future research should focus on larger prospective studies, ideally using standardized methodology to allow better comparison.