Warning Signals for Ear After COVID-19 Infection...The incidence of tinnitus and otolithiasis increased by 11-15%
Jun 08, 2025
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From 2020 to 2022, Professor Kim Min-hee's team matched about 4.97 million confirmed COVID-19 patients and 4.97 million controls with gender, age, region, and income level by 1:1, and conducted the world's largest study on the onset of ear disease in COVID-19 patients. At 6 months postinfection follow-up, the incidence increased by 15% for otolithiasis, 8% for sudden hearing loss, 19% for vestibular neuropathy, and 11% for tinnitus. Meniere's disease also showed an increase of 15%, but it was not statistically significant in multivariate analysis.
Corona is often infected several times, and reinfection can cause repeated stimulation of the immune system, putting a cumulative burden on the vestibular organs or auditory nerves.
In addition to the incidence of each disease, Professor Kim Min-hee's team also considered the mechanical possibility in this study. Coronaviruses can cause direct inner ear infections, immune inflammatory responses, vascular endothelial dysfunction, etc., which have been found to affect the equilibrium sense and auditory function of the ear.
Professor Kim Min-hee said, `The occurrence of ear disease after COVID-19 is not just a concept of sequelae, but an increased likelihood of developing due to complex pathophysiological mechanisms.' `In particular, patients with repeated infections, high-risk groups, and chronic stress conditions need to be careful about their ear health.'
Dizziness, hearing loss, and tinnitus occurring in the ear are often thought of as physical problems inside the ear. However, many recent studies have repeatedly shown that ear diseases are closely related to systemic immune responses, metabolic diseases, and autonomic nervous system abnormalities. Professor Kim Min-hee's team also paid attention to this systemic connection and previously revealed the connection between ear diseases, autoimmune diseases, and allergic diseases.
The Laryngoscope revealed that patients with autoimmune diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis have a high rate of recurrence of sudden hearing loss, and suggested that proper management of chronic diseases such as diabetes can affect hearing recurrence. In addition, Scientific Reports, which analyzed the correlation between Meniere's disease and allergic diseases, revealed that the prevalence of Meniere's disease was significantly higher in allergic rhinitis and asthma patients, emphasizing that ear disease may be a type of systemic disease linked to immune system abnormalities.
COVID-19 has also been confirmed to increase the risk of developing the disease in a way that changes in the system of the whole body, such as systemic inflammation, autonomic nervous system imbalance, and blood flow abnormalities, appear in 'ear'. Professor Kim Min-hee said, "The ear is a very sensitive and complex organ, and it also reflects the immune, vascular, and nervous system conditions of the whole body." "We should not limit ear disease to just ear problems, but approach them in relation to general health.", he explained.
Professor Kim Min-hee emphasized that "Auricular disease is not just a local disease, but a complex disease closely related to systemic function" and that "Chinese medicine treatment is an effective approach to controlling these systemic imbalances together".
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
