Preliminary JAMA analysis finds no link between COVID-19 vaccines and sudden hearing loss

After the authorization of COVID-19 vaccines, a growing number of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) reports have emerged from recently vaccinated people. 

A recently published analysis in JAMA is among the first to consider whether COVID-19 vaccines play a role in SSNHL, which frequently occurs without a clear underlying cause.  

Drawing from a pool of SSNHL patients who presented at Johns Hopkins University and data from the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database, the researchers compared the observed number of SSNHL with the expected rate in the broader population. In the latter, there were 147 SSNHL reports between December 14, 2020, and March 2, 2021, that occurred within three weeks of vaccination and had high credibility of reporting. In that time frame, 86,553,330 doses of COVID-19 were administered in the U.S. 

[Related: No clear link between COVID-19 vaccines and sudden hearing loss]

The researchers concluded that the SSNHL rates among the vaccinated cohort are consistent with — and possibly less than — the background rate in the general population. While noting that the findings are preliminary, the study authors conclude that “no association exists between inoculation with a SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA vaccine and incident sudden hearing loss.” 

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Filed Under: Infectious Disease
Tagged With: COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA vaccine, SSNHL, sudden sensorineural hearing loss
 

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