Tinnitus in COVID-19 patients: Our experiences at an eastern Indian tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: Tinnitus is a common otologic symptom found in the outpatient department of otolaryngology. Patients with COVID-19 infection have complained of tinnitus. However, in the present COVID-19 epidemic, it has received little attention. Objective: The goal of this study was to see how common tinnitus was among COVID-19 patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study that looked at 28 COVID-19 participants who had tinnitus. COVID-19 infection was confirmed in all of them using a nasopharyngeal swab reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The detailed history-taking clinical examination of the ear was done for the assessment of tinnitus and its outcome was analyzed. Results: There were 28 COVID-19 patients presented with tinnitus out of 212 patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2. There were 16 (57.14%) men and 12 (42.85%) women out of 28 COVID-19 patients with tinnitus, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.33:1. Seven (25%) of the 28 patients had hearing loss, whereas 4 (14.28%) had balance issues. Out of 28 patients, 5 (17.85%) had symptoms of migraine. Conclusion: This study shows that COVID-19 patients may be affected by subjective otoneurological symptoms like tinnitus. Tinnitus is more common in male COVID-19 patients than in female. The associated symptoms of hearing impairment and balance issues should be anticipated along with tinnitus. More research is needed to figure out the specific pathophysiological process that causes this subjective ringing sensation in COVID-19 patients.