Sudden sensorineural hearing loss after covid-19 vaccine; A possible adverse reaction?

Davide Pisani; Gianluca Leopardi; Pasquale Viola; Alfonso Scarpa; Filippo Ricciardiello; Niccolò Cerchiai; Alessia Astorina; Giuseppe Chiarella

doi:10.1016/j.xocr.2021.100384

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss after covid-19 vaccine; A possible adverse reaction?

Otolaryngol Case Rep. 2021 Nov:21:100384. doi: 10.1016/j.xocr.2021.100384. Epub 2021 Nov 30.

Authors

Davide Pisani¹, Gianluca Leopardi², Pasquale Viola¹, Alfonso Scarpa³, Filippo Ricciardiello⁴, Niccolò Cerchiai⁵, Alessia Astorina¹, Giuseppe Chiarella¹

Affiliations

¹ Unit of Audiology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Regional Centre of Cochlear Implants and ENT Diseases, Magna Graecia University, 88100, Catanzaro, Italy.
² Unit of Otolaryngology, "S. Giuseppe Hospital", Empoli, Firenze, Italy.
³ Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, 84084, Fisciano, Italy.
⁴ ENT Department, AORN Cardarelli, 80131, Napoli, Italy.
⁵ Department of Medicine and Surgery, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy.

Abstract

Background: Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) is a relatively rare symptom after immunisation from commonly used vaccines such as rabies, hepatitis B, measles and H1N1 and it could be an occasional symptom of COVID-19, even in mild manifestations of the disease.

Case report: We describe the case of a 57-year-old patient that reported SSNHL and tinnitus in his right ear 2 days after the inoculation of the Oxford-AstraZeneca (VAXZEVRIA) Covid-19 vaccine. The patient almost fully recovered after therapy and was referred to a long term follow-up program.

Conclusion: The current report underlines the importance to consider SSNHL as a possible rare adverse effect of the Covid-19 vaccine and take in account this possibility to promptly proceed with diagnosis and treatment of suspect cases.

Keywords: Adverse reaction; COVID-19; SSNHL; Vaccine.

Publication types

Case Reports