COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, for which the first cases were reported in China, by December 2019. Previous studies reported cases of tinnitus following COVID infection, most of them mild and with similar characteristics to other forms of tinnitus. Our aim is to further explore the relationship between COVID-19 and tinnitus. For this purpose we analyzed people in the city of Volta Redonda, Brazil after a COVID-19 infection. In detail we compared those with new onset tinnitus during or after COVID-19 with those without tinnitus and those with tinnitus onset before the COVID-19 infection. Moreover we analyzed the prevalence of post-COVID tinnitus along the pandemic timeline, from 2020 to 2024.

Two-hundred and thirty three patients over 18 years old and previously diagnosed with COVID-19 confirmed by either a RT-PCR, antibodies or antigens test were included. Patients were subdivided in three groups: no tinnitus (NT), tinnitus that already existed before COVID-19 (chronic tinnitus, CT) and tinnitus that arose during or after COVID-19 (post-COVID-19 tinnitus, PCT). Data concerning COVID-19 symptoms, drugs prescribed for COVID-19, tinnitus characteristics, comorbidities and other otological symptoms were collected. Tinnitus assessment included pure tone audiograms, the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), visual-analog scales (VAS) for loudness and distress as well as the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). Patients with CT were additionally asked whether their tinnitus worsened after their COVID-19 infection.

Inclusion Criteria:

• previous COVID-19 infection

Exclusion Criteria:

• < 18 yo
• not willing to give informed consent

Patients who had a previous COVID-19 infection