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COVID-19 is an infectious disease that has been confirmed in almost 40 million people across the world, while more than one million have died from the virus. If you develop any of the key coronavirus symptoms, you should get tested for the infection straight away.
The UK has seen a rise in the number of coronavirus cases over the past few weeks.
Around 10 million people across the country have been put into local lockdowns, in a bid to stop the rising spread of the infection.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has now ordered all pubs and restaurants to shut at 10pm, while nobody should meet with more than five other people for the foreseeable future.
Scientists have confirmed that unexplained hearing loss could be linked to coronavirus infection.
A COVID-19 patient developed hearing loss after being treated for the infection in hospital.
The patient – a 45-year-old asthmatic man – had left-sided tinnitus, and the sudden onset of hearing loss.
There was no clear cause for the hearing loss, but scientists and doctors suspect that it was a direct result of the coronavirus infection.
It’s the very first reported case of a patient developing hearing loss after becoming infected with COVID-19.
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“A 45-year-old patient with asthma presented to our otolaryngology department following a week of hearing loss while in hospital for the treatment of COVID-19,” said scientists from University College London and the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital.
They wrote in BMJ Case Reports: “A week after extubation and transfer out of the intensive care unit, he noticed left-sided tinnitus and sudden onset hearing loss. He had no previous history of hearing loss or ear pathology.
“His past medical history before admission included asthma, but he was otherwise fit and well.
“This is the first reported case of sensorineural hearing loss following COVID-19 infection in the UK.”
But just because you develop hearing loss, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have coronavirus.
Hearing loss can have many different causes, and it may be both temporary or permanent.
People with hearing loss may struggle to understand what someone else is saying, and they may often ask people to repeat themselves.
If you think that you’re losing your hearing, you should speak to a doctor, urged the NHS.
Meanwhile, a high fever, a new cough, and a change to your sense of smell or taste are the most common early coronavirus symptoms..
In the UK, you should only get tested for the infection if you develop any of these symptoms.
Some patients have also reported a sore throat, headaches, and even hiccups, on top of the more common signs.
More than 42,000 people have died from coronavirus in the UK.
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