Assessment of Hearing and Vestibular Functions in a Post-COVID-19 Patient: A Clinical Case Study

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 infection may cause such complications as post-COVID-19 syndrome, which includes chronic fatigue, myalgia, arthralgia, as well as a variety of neurological manifestations, e.g., neuropathy of small fibers, hearing and vestibular dysfunction, and cognitive impairment. This clinical case describes a 41-year-old patient suffering from post-COVID-19 syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome. A detailed examination was performed, including an in-depth study of peripheral and central hearing and vestibular functions, as well as small nerve fibers length and density in the skin and cornea of the eye. Contrary to expectations, no peripheral nervous system dysfunction was detected, despite the presence of dizziness and gait instability in the patient. Hearing tests (gap detection test and dichotic test) showed central auditory processing disorders. The evaluated lesion in the processing of temporal and verbal auditory information can be a significant factor contributing to additional overload of the neural activity and leading to chronic fatigue when performing daily activities in patients with CFS and post-COVID-19 complications.

Keywords

• post-COVID-19 syndrome
• autoimmunity
• hearing loss
• hearing tests
• vestibular tests
• gap detection test