Did you hear the news? COVID-19 cases are dropping, and everyday life is starting to return to normal.

But maybe you didn’t hear the news — because you’ve been exposed to COVID-19. A recently published study, led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology RNA-virus expert Lee Gehrke and Stanford University otolaryngologist Konstantina Stankovic, links coronavirus infection with hearing loss, ringing in the ears and other inner-ear problems.

“Our study showed evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 can directly infect the inner ear,” Stankovic told a university publication.

This is no small thing, with the hearing loss and balance issues from inner-ear infection proving quite serious at times. But such problems often were overlooked at the height of the pandemic in 2020-21, Stankovic pointed out, as doctors focused on keeping acute COVID-19 patients alive.

“They weren’t paying much attention to whether [patients’] hearing was reduced or whether they had vertigo,” she said.

As the novel coronavirus now settles into an endemic stage, becoming less fatal and more manageable due to built-up immunity in the population and proven treatments, medical research will increasingly zero in on the lingering symptoms of those who have survived bouts of COVID-19. Research indicates that up to 40% of people who have recovered from the initial coronavirus infection continue to suffer for weeks or months from sometimes-debilitating symptoms, such as fatigue, muddled memory and joint pain. Hearing problems appear to fall into this category.

Researchers say that, in some cases, these various symptoms — known as “long COVID” — might prove to be permanent.

As for the COVID-19-related hearing issues, it’s not yet known how the virus gets into the inner ear. Stankovic speculates that it migrates there from the nose. She believes there’s little chance the virus makes its way into the body through the outer ear.

Another recent study, which focused on COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms who had no previous hearing disorders, found that “hearing loss in the COVID era is one of the emerging areas of concern.” Its authors, like Gehrke and Stankovic, recommend more research to allow for “better understanding and treatment.”

— Douglas Perry

dperry@oregonian.com

@douglasmperry