COVID-19 can cause an ear infection
The buildup of fluid can impact hearing, says UCI Health otolaryngologist
IN THE NEWS: There’s research to suggest that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can infect the ear. Dr. Hamid Djalilian, an otolaryngologist at UCI Health Ear, Nose and Throat Services, recently spoke with Prevention. He explained that because the respiratory tract of the nose is connected with the lining of the ear through the Eustachian tube, patients who acquire COVID-19 can get fluid behind the eardrum from the viral infection.
“It would be rare that somebody needs an antibiotic for an infection of the ear caused by COVID-19, but they may have decreased hearing and fullness in the ear as a result of the fluid accumulation behind the eardrum.”
Djalilian says those who experience frequent ear infections as an adult should see a physician, because it can be related to a long history of Eustachian tube dysfunction.
Djalilian is a board-certified and fellowship trained in otology, neurotology and skull base surgery at UCI Health. His areas of expertise include complex ear surgery, hearing loss, balance disorders, facial nerve paralysis and skull base surgery. As a professor of otolaryngology at the UC Irvine School of Medicine, Djalilian’s research is related to cochlear implants, acoustic neuroma and chronic ear disease. He has developed several innovative devices for the treatment of hearing loss, imbalance and tinnitus.
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UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,461-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Health — Orange, its flagship hospital, the UCI Health — Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Health — Orange provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).