Brand new patient-led research suggests that Covid-19 can infect the inner ear through the Eustachian tube, which connects the nose to the middle ear, potentially causing tinnitus, deafness, and dizziness.
COVID and hearing loss
Research recently carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Eye and Ear showed that Covid-19 can be transmitted via the inner ear, which contains important hair cells. We rely on these hair cells for both hearing and balance. Ten COVID patients who reported inner ear problems were used in the study, which was published in MIT News.
The study was only possible because of the cutting edge work carried out by the researchers, according to the report. Researchers created a new cell model of the inner ear, which enabled them to discover the difficult to pinpoint inner ear issues. They couldn’t do this before because adult inner ear tissue is hard to find. Because of this, studies on viruses that cause deafness have come up against a scientific brick wall.
New Cell Model
Although the study has come as a breakthrough for COVID-linked deafness and related issues, it began before the pandemic. At the beginning of last year, study lead Lee Gehrke and second lead Konstantina Stankovic began their joint project at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, according to the report. The goal was to develop a cellular model for studying inner ear infections in humans.
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