Sudden Hearing Loss Following Vaccination Against COVID-19

[rangerrebew]

Sudden Hearing Loss Following Vaccination Against COVID-19
Tuomo A Nieminen 1, Ilkka Kivekäs 2 3, Miia Artama 4, Hanna Nohynek 1, Jarno Kujansivu 2, Petteri Hovi 1
Affiliations expand
PMID: 36520464 PMCID: PMC9857204 DOI: 10.1001/jamaoto.2022.4154
 
Abstract
Importance: Spontaneous adverse reaction reports of sudden hearing loss have been observed, and a population-based cohort study conducted in Israel showed an increase in the incidence of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) following vaccination with messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech). However, in this setting, the possibility of confounding remained.

Objective: To assess a potential association between COVID-19 vaccinations and SSNHL.

Design, setting, and participants: This register-based country-wide retrospective cohort study of 5.5 million Finnish residents was conducted from January 1, 2019, to April 20, 2022, and included all individuals who were identified from the population information system who were alive or born during the study period except individuals who had SSNHL during 2015 to 2018 according to specialized care derived diagnosis codes for SSNHL (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision [ICD-10] code H91.2) as a primary or secondary diagnosis.

Exposures: The a priori primary risk period was 0 to 54 days following each COVID-19 vaccination. The risk periods for different vaccine doses did not overlap so that a later vaccine exposure ended the previous risk period. The secondary risk period was from 55 days following each COVID-19 vaccination until a subsequent COVID-19 vaccination. A secondary analysis included a risk time from 0 to 54 days following a positive polymerase chain reaction test result for SARS-CoV-2.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36520464/

[PeteS in CA]

If one reads farther down the linked article one finds:

Results: For the 5.5 million Finnish residents included in the study, the comparison time comprised 6.5 million person-years, the primary risk time of 1.7 million person-years, and the secondary risk time of 2.1 million person-years. Before the COVID-19 epidemic in Finland, 18.7/100 000 people received a diagnosis of SSNHL annually. The study data suggested no increased risk for SSNHL following any COVID-19 vaccination. In particular, adjusted incidence rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals for the BNT162b2 vaccine's 3 doses were 0.8 (95% CI, 0.6-1.0), 0.9 (95% CI, 0.6-1.2), and 1.0 (95% CI, 0.7-1.4), respectively. There was no association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and an increased incidence of SSNHL.

Conclusions and relevance: The results of this cohort study show no evidence of an increased risk of SSNHL following COVID-19 vaccination. The study accounted for previous disease and other potential confounding factors. These results are based on diagnosis codes in specialized care but still need to be verified in settings that are capable of evaluating the degree of hearing loss.

No effects, no cause.

[mountaineer]

I know two people in our community who suffered severe tinnitus immediately after receiving the vaccine. As far as I know, they still have their hearing.

[mystery-ak]

Well..Christmas Eve morning I woke up deaf....totally deaf in left ear partially deaf in right.....long story short the ENT's first question to me was *did you recently have a covid shot*....I have regained most of my hearing in my right ear but not my left...I have to have an MRI as soon as they schedule it....there is a type of tumor associated with sudden loss of hearing and they are a little concerned that I spent almost all of 2023 with surgeries on my left eye..they think it may all be related.

Get this..in today's mail I got an ad/coupon for Belltone hearing aides...

[GtHawk]

Well..Christmas Eve morning I woke up deaf....totally deaf in left ear partially deaf in right.....long story short the ENT's first question to me was *did you recently have a covid shot*....I have regained most of my hearing in my right ear but not my left...I have to have an MRI as soon as they schedule it....there is a type of tumor associated with sudden loss of hearing and they are a little concerned that I spent almost all of 2023 with surgeries on my left eye..they think it may all be related.

Get this..in today's mail I got an ad/coupon for Belltone hearing aides...

Nothing to do with any vaccine, forty years ago I suffered sudden partial hearing loss in one ear along with acquiring a profound case of Tinnitus. I had extensive tests along with many X-rays(just what you want for your brain) and an MRI, the results  NADA. Over the years I have continued to lose hearing in both ears to where I am effectively deaf in one and down to 50% or so in the other. I would say it sucks getting old but this started in my 20's

Sending you good thoughts and prayers that things improve for you

[roamer_1]

Well..Christmas Eve morning I woke up deaf....totally deaf in left ear partially deaf in right.....long story short the ENT's first question to me was *did you recently have a covid shot*....I have regained most of my hearing in my right ear but not my left...I have to have an MRI as soon as they schedule it....there is a type of tumor associated with sudden loss of hearing and they are a little concerned that I spent almost all of 2023 with surgeries on my left eye..they think it may all be related.

Get this..in today's mail I got an ad/coupon for Belltone hearing aides...

  That don't sound fun... Me, I am fixin to see how far away from doctors I can stay this year. This month was my last major procedure... And I am done with it as far as I am concerned.

Hearing aides... I have been wondering about these newfangled ear buds... They have a thing built in called 'pass through' sound... Where it will let you hear ambient sound outside of the bud... As some sort of adjustable level... That feature, if it can be turned up, could work as a redneck hearing aide for way less dough.

Jussayin. I ain't quite there yet. I enjoy my old ears the way they are. The things I (think I) hear people say... It's one of my favorite entertainments.

[libertybele]

Well..Christmas Eve morning I woke up deaf....totally deaf in left ear partially deaf in right.....long story short the ENT's first question to me was *did you recently have a covid shot*....I have regained most of my hearing in my right ear but not my left...I have to have an MRI as soon as they schedule it....there is a type of tumor associated with sudden loss of hearing and they are a little concerned that I spent almost all of 2023 with surgeries on my left eye..they think it may all be related.

Get this..in today's mail I got an ad/coupon for Belltone hearing aides...

I am very sorry to hear that.  But, IMO there is something to be said about the impact of COVID on hearing. My daughter had COVID 2x, one case worse than the other.  She still has not regained hearing in one of her ears,  You can snap a finger in front of her bad ear and she just plain cannot hear.

(I have a hearing deficit in both ears and have had it for years -- 50% hearing loss last time I was tested.

Praying that your hearing issues resolve @mystery-ak