This virus could infect tissues of the eardrum, particularly hair cells, that are important for listening and balancing, according to recent research by MIT at Massachusetts Eye & Ear.
The scientists further discovered that the illness patterns shown in human eardrum tissues match the complaints observed in another survey of 10 COVID-19 individuals who complained of a range of ear-related problems.
The SARS-Cov-2 Virus Has Been Found To Infect the Inner Ear
The viral infection due to Coronavirus has tremendous effects on various organs, and even researchers know them with each study. The latest study has shown that this virus impacts the inner ear to a large extent that can affect not only the hearing abilities of an individual but also infects the inner area of the ear leading to more health complications. However, the group of experts is also dealing with this issue, and more research is already being done.
In their tests, the scientists utilized newly constructed cellular versions of the actual eardrum as well as difficult-to-find mature human eardrum material. Earlier research of COVID-19 or other infections that could induce hearing impairment has been hampered by a lack of this material.
Several COVID-19 users had complained of ear issues such as auditory impairment and tinnitus. Lightheadedness and balancing issues have also been reported, implying that the SARS-CoV-2 virus could damage the eardrum.
“Having the models is the first step,” says Lee Gehrke, the Hermann L.F. von Helmholtz Professor in MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, who co-led the study. “This work offers a road now for working with not only SARS-CoV-2 but also other viruses that damage hearing.”
Ear infections images
The investigators changed their preparations once the SARS-CoV-2 virus was discovered in early 2020. Stankovic began seeing individuals with hearing problems, deafness, and vertigo who had been diagnosed positive with COVID-19 in Massachusetts Eye & Ear. “Because hearing loss and tinnitus are so frequent, it was unclear at the time whether this was causally related or coincidental,” she says.
Such cells can be grouped into three-dimensional cells in vitro or produced in a flattened, two-dimensional sheet. Furthermore, the scientists are managed to get specimens of difficult-to-find inner ear material from individuals undergoing an operation for a disease that produces acute vertigo episodes or a tumor that produces hearing damage and disorientation.
Before the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, Gehrke&Stankovic collaborated on research to generate a cellular model for studying diseases of the human eardrum. Infections including the cytomegalovirus, the measles virus, and also hepatitis disease could all induce hearing, although the actual mechanism is unknown.
The scientists next demonstrated that viruses may attack the eardrum, namely hair follicles and, to a smaller extent, Schwann neurons. They discovered that SARS-CoV-2 infections did not affect other cell kinds in their experiments.
Connections that have gone viral
These disease patterns discovered in the scientists’ tissue specimens seem to match the complaints described by a set of 10 COVID-19 individuals who experienced ear-related complaints after the illness. Nine of the individuals had tinnitus, 6 of them had vertigo, and they all had modest to substantial hearing impairment.
“At first, this was because routine testing was not widely available for COVID patients, and also, when patients were experiencing more life-threatening issues, they weren’t paying much attention to whether their hearing was diminished or whether they had tinnitus,” Stankovic explains.
“We don’t know what the incidence is, but our data strongly suggest that persons who have been exposed to COVID should pay more attention to audiovestibular symptoms.”
The scientists intend to utilize their cellular functions prototypes to explore potential therapies treating SARS-CoV-2 or other viruses-related inner hearing diseases.
