مقالات رزومه احمدرضا ناظری

The aim was to assess prevalence of tinnitus, hyperacusis, hearing and balance problems among patients recovered from COVID-19 infection. Self-reported ear and hearing symptoms were compared in three groups comprising: confirmed COVID-19, possible COVID-19, and non-COVID-19. 1649 participants completed the survey in this cross-sectional study. The mean age was 34 years and 65% were female. Participants with confirmed and possible COVID-19 were asked if after their infection (compared to the past) they experienced hearing loss, ringing or whistling noises, fullness or blockage in their ears, loudness of the sounds that are normal to other people bother them more (an indication of hyperacusis), dizziness, giddiness, or imbalance.  Among participants with confirmed COVID-19, 16% reported that compared to the past their hearing has decreased, 21.5% noticed tinnitus, 22.5% aural fullness, 26.1% hyperacusis and 17.3% balance problems. Regression models showed that compared to the non-COVID-19 group, participants with confirmed COVID-19 had odds ratios (ORs) of significantly greater than 1 in predicting presence of self-reported symptoms of hearing loss, tinnitus, aural fullness, hyperacusis and balance problems, OR=1.96 (p=0.001), OR=1.63 (p=0.003), OR=1.8 (p<0.001), OR=2.2 (p<0.001), and OR=2.99 (p<0.001), respectively. There seem to be higher prevalence of self-report symptoms of ear-related problems among individuals with confirmed COVID-19 infection compared to a non-COVID-19 group during the pandemic.

After more than a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, audio-vestibular problems have been reported as consequences. Several limited case report studies with different methodologies were published. This study aimed to describe the impact of COVID-19 on the auditory-vestibular system and communication problems in subjects with hearing impairment.  

The current systematic review was performed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guideline. PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched to find relevant articles using combined keywords. 

Out of 26 final studies, 20 studies dealt with the effects of COVID-19 on the auditory and vestibular system, and six articles examined the COVID-19 effects on hearing-impaired people and patients. In these studies, dizziness (17.8%), tinnitus (8.1%), and vertigo (2.8%) were common symptoms. Most studies were case reports (42.30%), and in terms of quality, nine studies (34.61%) were in the suitable quality group.

COVID-19 might cause auditory-vestibular system problems by directly affecting the structures or functions of the inner ear or by weakening the immune system. The need for taking preventive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused communication and social challenges, particularly for people with hearing loss.

Dichotic listening (DL) test is a non-invasive method used to study hemispheric asymmetry, hemispheric dominance for language processing, or brain lateralization. In addition to the type, concurrence, and the intensity of stimuli presented to the ears, other factors exist that may have less effect on the DL test results. This review study aims to find these factors.

The factors that affects the DL included ear advantage, attention, working memory, gender, and top-down and bottom-up factors. These factors were reviewed and discussed in detail so that more precise test results can be obtained. Moreover, due to the significant effects of each factor on the test results, manipulation of these factors was also reviewed.

According to the results of previous studies, ear advantage, attention, working memory, gender, and top-down and bottom-up factors play an important role in the interpretation of DL results; their negligence during the test can affect the outcomes and provide incorrect brain lateralization results.

Many aspects and features of auditory system can be improved by musical training. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a stringed musical instrument playing course on temporal resolution and temporal fine structure (TFS) processing.

This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 44 normal-hearing adults aged 20–40 years divided to two groups. The first group included 22 stringed musical instruments players (13 males) with at least three years of experience, and the second group were 22 non- players (13 males). The random gap detection test (RGDT) was used to measure temporal resolution aspect of hearing. For TFS processing, latest version of temporal fine structure-adaptive frequency (TFS-AF) test was used.

The TFS-AF results showed no statistically significant difference between groups in different interaural phase differences (IPDs). The RGDT results showed significant differences between groups at 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz, but not at 4000 Hz. Spearman correlation test results showed no statistically significant correlation between the results of TFS-AF and RGDT.

Musical training has no effect on TFS processing but considerably enhances gap detection ability. Their underlying mechanisms for TFS processing and gap detection are different.

Hearing loss assessment is typically done using the conventional pure tone audiometry (125 Hz to 8000 Hz). Extended high-frequency audiometry (EHFA), which covers the frequency range of 9000 Hz to 20000 Hz, is a very useful tool for detecting early hearing loss before engaging middle and low frequencies. The involvement of these frequencies significantly affects hearing sensitivity. The purpose of the present study was to review the literature on the early diagnosis of hearing impairment using EHFA.

EHFA has been suggested as a low utilization tool in clinical evaluation. However, in recent years, a great deal of information has been provided in this area. This evaluation has proven to be useful in a variety of areas, including ototoxicity, noise-exposed individuals, and users of personal music devices, hidden hearing loss (HHL), middle ear infections, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjogren’s syndrome.

Given the importance and application of this clinical tool in the early detection of hearing loss and its use in conjunction with other evaluations, better care planning and prevention can be offered to patients in some areas.