Cases of sudden hearing loss increased during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study comparing admissions to ear, nose and throat (ENT) services before and during the outbreak.

The study was carried out by three otolaryngology specialists, Assoc. Prof. Vural Fidan, Dr. Handan Koyuncu and Dr. Yaşar Okan Akın, and published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Otolaryngology.

While the number of people who applied to the hospital because of a sudden hearing loss was 41 between April 1 and September 30, 2019, it was 68 in the same period in 2020, the study shows.

Out of those 68 patients, swab tests of 39 were positive, according to the study.

“We found a nearly 50 percent increase in the number of patients who had a sudden hearing loss due to Covid-19’s attachment to nerve cells,” Assoc. Prof. Vural told the state-run Anadolu Agency. “We tried to treat these patients for both sudden hearing loss and Covid-19.”

The fact that patients delay applying to the hospital over the concern of contracting Covid-19 may reduce the effectiveness of the treatment, he warned. (RT/VK)

Article originally appeared on bianet.com