Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Before COVID-19, During COVID-19, and After Inactivated Vaccination: Correspondence

Dear Editor, We would like to give matter arising from this article, “Sudden sensorineural hearing loss before COVID-19, during COVID-19, and after inactivated vaccination: experience from a tertiary referral center in China” (1). The overall goal of this research was to examine the frequency and auditory features of acute sensorineural hearing loss before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as after inactivated immunization. The incidence rates of sudden hearing loss did not significantly change between the three time periods, according to the results. Nonetheless, there was a discernible variation in the patients' incidence of hypertension. Although this study offers insightful information on how the pandemic and vaccination affect hearing loss, it is possible that the sample sizes in each time period were insufficient to identify minute variations and reach firm conclusions. The retrospective design of this study is one of its flaws because it could have introduced bias and made it more difficult to control for confounding variables. Furthermore, the study only included patients who came to the hospital during particular months of the year, which means that it could not be entirely representative of the overall population. Furthermore, there is a chance that patients' and healthcare professionals' differing diagnose criteria for abrupt sensorineural hearing loss and different treatment regimens could have affected the outcome. One of the main questions this study raises is whether or not sudden sensorineural hearing loss and COVID-19 infection or vaccination are causally related. Even though the study did not discover a statistically significant variation in incidence rates, more investigation is required to examine this possible relationship. Future research may involve a broader and more varied group of patients in addition to longitudinal monitoring to evaluate long-term results and possible side effects. To sum up, this research offers significant initial information regarding the prevalence and features of abrupt sensorineural hearing loss before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as after inactivated vaccination. However, given the limitations and potential biases of the study, caution should be exercised in interpreting the results. More thorough research is required in the future to determine possible risk factors and efficient treatment approaches for acute sensorineural hearing loss in this setting, as well as to gain a better understanding of the effects of the pandemic and vaccine on hearing health. Hinpetch DaungsupawongPrivate Academic Consultant Phonhong Lao People's Democratic Republic [email protected]Viroj WiwanitkitDepartment of Research Analytics Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences Saveetha University Chennai, India