Since the suicide of Texas Roadhouse Restaurant CEO and founder, Kent Taylor many are drawn to the fact that tinnitus may be linked to COVID-19.
The CEO suffered from a variety of symptoms after contracting COVID-19, the most severe was the ringing in the ears, where it was “unbearable”. The Journal of International Audiology examined 60 case reports and studies found that 15% of adults that contracted COVID-19 reported symptoms of tinnitus.
There is not a solid link between COVID-19 and tinnitus, but the virus is known to aggravate preexisting conditions. Last year alone, Frontiers in Public Health surveyed 3,100 people with Tinnitus that also contracted the virus and the findings were substantial. Forty percent reported that their symptoms were “significantly exacerbated” following infection.
So far there are 200 causes of tinnitus, whether or not COVID is one of them is still a question, but there is no doubt that it can amplify the symptom of ringing in the ears.