Can Auditory Brainstem Responses Be a Screening Tool to Assess the Brainstem of a Post-Covid-19 ?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate whether auditory pathways at the brainstem level are affected in volunteers with normal hearing infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is thought to localize in the brainstem and cause symptoms such as loss of smell and taste. Methods: A total of 60 volunteers (120 ears), 30 (21 females and 9 males; M: 24.5±5.5) infected (study group) and 30 (18 females and 12 males; M: 20.7±2) never infected (control group), aged 17-45 years, were included in the study. The study group consisted of individuals who had Covid-19 and had at least one of the symptoms known to occur with the localization of the virus in the brainstem, such as nausea-vomiting, loss of smell-taste, weakness-fatigue. The latency and amplitude values of auditory brainstem responses elicited at 80 dB nHL with LS-CE chirp stimuli were compared between the two groups. I, III, and V-wave latencies, I-III, III-V, and I-V interpic latencies, I, III, and V-wave amplitudes, and V/I amplitude ratio parameters were evaluated in the ABR test. Results: Although no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) was observed between the study group and the control group in all parameters, it was found that the amplitudes of the waves were lower in the study group compared to the control group. Conclusion: Although the findings did not show any significant results, the study group's worse amplitudes may indicate the presence of brainstem damage.