Virus affects our balance and hearing

INFLAMMATION caused by Covid-19 can result in hearing and balance problems, according to a study.

And pandemic-related stress may aggravate symptoms of tinnitus.

It is already known that complications of Covid can range from loss of taste and smell to difficulty breathing – with many effects lasting for months.

Now Professor Colleen Le Prell, of the University of Texas in the US, says: “Inflammation can damage the auditory and vestibular pathways in the peripheral and central nervous system, just as it damages smell and taste pathways, and other neural systems.”

Prof Le Prell added: “Increases in tinnitus bothersomeness were associated with reports of pandemic-related loneliness, sleep troubles, anxiety, depression, irritability, and financial worries.”