Covid shots and Tinnitus, Several people have reported developing Tinnitus after they were vaccinated against COVID-19. While it is not yet proven that vaccines cause Tinnitus, theories linking the two have emerged among researchers.
An associate professor in the physiology department of the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona, Shaowen Bao, has studied Tinnitus for more than a decade. According to him, ongoing inflation, specifically in the brain or spinal cord is maybe to blame.
A group of people on Facebook developed Tinnitus after getting a COVID vaccine. Later, these people convinced Bao to look into the matter of a link between the two. Which led to him surveying 398 participants in the group.
The reported cases were severe. Along with ringing ears, people also experienced symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, vertigo, ear pain, anxiety, and depression. A significant number of people developed Tinnitus after the first dose of the vaccine, compared to the second.
Bao says about Covid shots and Tinnitus “that the vaccine is interacting with pre-existing risk factors for Tinnitus. If you have the risk factor, you will probably get it from the first dose,” and he is still analyzing the results and hasn’t published any preliminary findings.
“New theories of the possible link between Covid vaccines and tinnitus are emerging” NBC reports.
Does the link actually exist?
As of Sunday about Covid shots and Tinnitus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received more than 16000 complaints about developing Tinnitus, or ringing ears, after getting the vaccine shot.
Tinnitus and its Potential Causes
Tinnitus affects about 25% of adults in the United States. Moreover, children can also develop the disease, says the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. A person with Tinnitus experiences a phantom noise in their ear. Which means, no one else can hear what they are hearing.
Potential causes of Tinnitus include age-related hearing loss, specific medications, ear infections, and high blood pressure levels. A CDC spokesperson email said that “It’s not surprising for the CDC to receive reports of Tinnitus in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System after vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination,” although a theory says the risk of Tinnitus is low, it does not mean it is completely absent.
Tackling the Phantom Sounds
While there’s no diagnostic test for Tinnitus, seeing an ear, nose, and throat specialist is what experts suggest. The specialist would help you find any underlying causes of ringing ear such as ear infection or high blood pressure. Other than that, there are no proven ways of treating Tinnitus.
