You may experience ear symptoms from long COVID even if you didn’t experience any othersymptoms of COVID-19.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, can cause ear infections.
It can infect the inner ear as well as the middle ear.
Illustration by Jessica Olah for Verywell Health
The inner ear is responsible for your sense of balance and hearing.
Viral infections of the inner ear can cause balance and hearing problems in some people with COVID.
Other viruses and bacteria can infect the ear as well.
The illness may start out as a seemingly benign cold or a respiratory infection.
While ear infections are more common in children, adults can get them too.
A cold or allergy can cause inflammation and swelling of the eustachian tube.
When this happens, fluid builds up behind the eardrum.
Viruses and bacteria can multiply in this fluid, causing an infection of themiddle ear.
Both COVID-19 and an ear infection can cause similar symptoms likefeverand headaches.
See a healthcare provider or ENT specialist to get specific treatment for your ear symptoms.
They are inserted during an outpatient surgical procedure known as amyringotomy.
It can also cause ear pain and dizziness.
Sometimes ear symptoms go away on their own.
In other cases, they may linger as a result of long COVID.
It is important that you be tested for COVID-19 to prevent the spread of the virus.
If your symptoms become more extreme, seek medical attention right away.
For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.
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