Evaluation of Acoustic Reflex Thresholds in COVID-19 Patients With Taste Disorders

Abstract

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, can result in persistent loss of taste and smell. This study was performed to assess acoustic reflex threshold (ART) in patients with taste disorders caused by SARS-CoV-2. Material and Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 11 patients (9 men, 2 women; average age = 22.3 years) with a history of COVID-19 and had complaints of taste disorder and sensitivity to loud sounds. The control group consisted of 13 healthy participants (10 men, 3 women; average age = 23.4 years). Anamnesis, neuro-otological, ear, nose and throat, and eye examinations, as well as a taste test, pure tone audiometry, speech discrimination test, and impedance audiometry were performed in all participants. Results: All participants in the study group had a negative taste test result. In addition, ART values were significantly higher in the study group than the control group at all frequencies. Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 could be a neurotropic virus that can cause facial nerve neuropathy.