AUTHOR=Jarach Carlotta Micaela , Lugo Alessandra , Stival Chiara , Bosetti Cristina , Amerio Andrea , Cavalieri d'Oro Luca , Iacoviello Licia , Odone Anna , Stuckler David , Zucchi Alberto , van den Brandt Piet , Garavello Werner , Cederroth Christopher R. , Schlee Winfried , Gallus Silvano , The LOST in Lombardia Study Investigators , Gallus Silvano , Bosetti Cristina , Jarach Carlotta Micaela , Lugo Alessandra , Stival Chiara , Serafini Gianluca , Amerio Andrea , Amore Mario , Stuckler David , Sena Roberto De , Ghislandi Simone , Wang Yuxi , Iacoviello Licia , Bonaccio Marialaura , Gianfagna Francesco , Odone Anna , Signorelli Carlo , Mosconi Giansanto , Vigezzi Giacomo , Cavalieri d'Oro Luca , Rognoni Magda , Paroni Luca , Zucchi Alberto , Ciampichini Roberta TITLE=The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Tinnitus and Hearing Loss in Older Adults: Data From the LOST in Lombardia Study JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.838291 DOI=10.3389/fneur.2022.838291 ISSN=1664-2295 ABSTRACT=Background

Although a direct relationship between tinnitus or hearing difficulties and COVID-19 has been suggested, current literature provides inconsistent results, and no research has been undertaken in older adults.

Methods

In November 2020, we conducted the LOST in Lombardia survey, a telephone-based cross-sectional study on a sample of 4,400 individuals representative of the general population aged ≥65 years from Lombardy region, Northern Italy. Individuals with diagnosed tinnitus and/or hearing loss were asked whether their conditions had improved or deteriorated in 2020 compared to 2019.

Results

Overall, 8.1% of older adults reported a diagnosis of tinnitus and 10.5% of hearing loss. In 2020 compared to 2019, among individuals with tinnitus, those with increasing severity (5.0%) were similar to those decreasing it (5.3%). Among individuals with hearing loss, more people reported an increase (13.6%) than a decrease (3.2%) in their disease severity. No individual with a diagnosis in 2020 of tinnitus (n = 6) or hearing loss (n = 13) had COVID-19. The incidence of tinnitus was lower in 2020 (rate: 14.8 per 10,000 person-years) than in previous years (rate in 1990–2019: 36.0 per 10,000 person-years; p = 0.026). There was no change in the incidence of hearing loss (p = 0.134).

Conclusions

In this large representative sample of older adults, on average neither COVID-19 confinement nor SARS-CoV-2 infection appeared to increase the severity or incidence of tinnitus. The increased severity of hearing difficulties may totally or partially be explained by physiologic deterioration of the condition, or by a misperception due to the use of face-masks.