Some scientists and published studies have suggested a link between COVID-19 vaccines and tinnitus, commonly known as “ringing in the ears.”
The ATA explains that while tinnitus is commonly referred to as “ringing in the ears,” it can involve “many different perceptions of sound, including buzzing, hissing, whistling, swooshing, and clicking.” In some rare cases, tinnitus patients report hearing music.
The problem began for Gregory Poland, an MD at the Mayo Clinic who directs its Vaccine Research Group, within an hour of his second dose of the COVID vaccine in 2021.
Returning home from the shot, he developed a sudden ringing in his ears that was so pronounced he nearly drove into traffic.
The difficulties Poland raises are problematic, Stanford otolaryngologist Konstantina M. Stankovic told National Geographic (NatGeo).
“Tinnitus is a phantom sound that is generated by the brain, and the brain typically makes it when there is an injury to the inner ear,” she explained, adding that the lack of objective markers is a “huge impediment” in the field. “We have to rely on patient reports and subjective questionnaires.”
In relation to the mRNA vaccines, the adenovirus vaccine was associated with a statistically significant excess incidence of vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss of at least 723, 57, and 55 cases per 100,000, respectively.
CDC Response
On Feb. 8, Martha Sharan, a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told NatGeo that the agency has determined it does “not have sufficient evidence from our surveillance to justify launching an epidemiologic study.”The agency said in September that it found no evidence that tinnitus diagnoses were clustered together following vaccination but hasn’t published that analysis and declined to share the preliminary report with the press.
Paul Offit, MD, of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, was dismissive of the connection, telling NatGeo that “[a]s a general rule, side effects associated with vaccines are associated with the immune response to the vaccine.”
But this statement is not borne out by several of the studies cited above, including the WHO’s, which cited inflammation of the vestibulocochlear nerve as a plausible mechanism of action and suggested “awareness of this possible link may help healthcare professionals and those vaccinated to monitor symptoms and seek care, as appropriate. As there is still only limited data in the literature providing evidence for this link, further monitoring is required.”
As for Dr. Poland, who is also an advisor on vaccines for Johnson and Johnson, he told NBC News, “I sat one night looking at the stars and tears came to my eyes when the thought occurred to me out of the blue: I may never hear silence again.” He said that he wakes up in the middle of the night, unable to ignore the blaring whistle in his ears.
Still, he remains committed to the vaccines.
Treatment of Tinnitus
There is no cure per se for tinnitus, but, according to the Mayo Clinic, treatment options vary depending on the underlying cause, and range from ear wax removal to treating an underlying blood vessel condition to the prescription of a hearing aid. Some individuals, including the actor William Shatner, have found relief with tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT).Shatner then describes an audiometer test that identified the sound of his tinnitus. He said, “And when [the audiometer] reached the same timber and tone of my sound, I broke into tears. Somebody had hacked their way through this jungle of sound where I was totally alone in my agony, and somebody had reached me and it just moved me to tears.”
The treatment combines sound masking and counseling. Typically, the patient wears a device in the ear that helps mask tinnitus symptoms while also receiving directive counseling. Over time, TRT may help patients notice tinnitus less and feel less distressed by symptoms.