Self-reported Tinnitus and Vertigo or Dizziness in a Cohort of Adult Long COVID Patients, 2022, Degen et al

Andy

Andy

Senior Member (Voting rights)
Tinnitus, vertigo and dizziness are symptoms commonly reported among Long and Post COVID patients, however the severity of these symptoms has not been assessed in large trials. Therefore, in this study a large cohort of Long COVID patients was surveyed about the presence and severity of tinnitus and vertigo or dizziness symptoms. The online survey was completed by a German cohort of 1,082 adult Long COVID patients after a mean period of 43.2 weeks ± 23.4 weeks after infection. Eighty percent were not fully vaccinated (at least two vaccinations) at the time of their first COVID symptoms and 9.8% were hospitalized in the course of their acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.

At the time of the survey, 60% of patients reported the presence of vertigo or dizziness with a mean severity of 4.6 ± 2.7 on a scale of 1 (least severe) to 10 (most severe) and 30% complained of tinnitus with a mean severity of 4.8 ± 3.0. Approximately one fifth of the participants with tinnitus and vertigo or dizziness, rated their symptoms to be severe. The data shown in this study confirms that tinnitus and vertigo or dizziness are common symptoms in Long COVID patients and demonstrates, that a compelling number of patients rate their symptoms as severe. The self-reported severity highlights the need for Long COVID clinics to address these symptoms effectively. We suggest a multidisciplinary diagnostic and therapeutic approach to prevent further morbidity and socioeconomic burden for Long COVID patients suffering from severe vertigo, dizziness or tinnitus.

Open access, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.884002/full
 
A survey was created by a multicenter interdisciplinary team investigating health and social effects of COVID-19. Online access to the questionnaire was provided to minimize potential barriers to participation. The digital questionnaire could be accessed through a link on the project website (www.defeat-corona.de), or by scanning a QR code, that was displayed on posters and flyers at participating medical and research centers. In addition, study information was sent to 400 randomly-chosen primary care, internal medicine, radiology and occupational therapy practices across the region of Lower Saxony, Germany. The link was shared in online patient advocacy groups and web pages of the participating institutions.
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A volunteer sample - so, the prevalence figures are completely worthless. Apart from justifying the favoured ideas of these researchers of course.

I do not understand how authors can write such potentially biased reports, or how journals can allow them to be published.
 
I'm baffled by that reference to "self-reported tinnitus" in the title of this paper. Who else could possibly report that I have tinnitus except me?

I know when I get my hearing tested that there are always certain points in the test where things get a bit "difficult", and the audiologist told me that I was confusing my tinnitus with the sounds she was putting through the headphones. But anyone interested in my tinnitus still has to rely on what I tell them, and actually believe me.
 
Arnie Pye said:
I'm baffled by that reference to "self-reported tinnitus" in the title of this paper. Who else could possibly report that I have tinnitus except me?

I know when I get my hearing tested that there are always certain points in the test where things get a bit "difficult", and the audiologist told me that I was confusing my tinnitus with the sounds she was putting through the headphones. But anyone interested in my tinnitus still has to rely on what I tell them, and actually believe me.
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If I had a dollar for every time I've seen a physician dismiss "self-reported symptoms", as if there's any other kind... I'd have many dollars. I mean it's literally self-reported by definition, what kind of weird argument is that?

It seems to be in line with how Edwards explains that medicine doesn't look at symptoms. So when all they deal with symptoms being dismissive is the natural response. It's super weird when you see it for what it is, how self-defeating it all is.

Even weirder is the idea that this is because of the biomedical model, as if it forced to ignore symptoms unless there is a full gap-free explanation for how a biological process explains the symptoms, nevermind that in almost all cases at best there is mere correlation. Lots of finger-pointing at anything but self.
 
A thoughtful person might wonder why physicians think people come to see them, if it's not to get help with symptoms, that they are seemingly trained to dismiss/ignore, as not being what medicine is about.

It might explain their obsession with CBT et al. as they are trained to dismiss symptoms, as not being what medicine is about, then surely training patients to dismiss/ignore symptoms must be the way to go?

Or some other claptrap.
 
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I made a brief comment using the journal facility - it was very easy, you just need to register. I didn't bother with references, as I think the reality of the bias is self-evident. But, if someone wanted to have a look at the evidence for self-selected samples producing biased results in online surveys, it would be good if that was added.
 
Long Covid Dizziness: Causes, Treatment & Recovery

January 29, 2026

"The room spins when you stand up. A foggy, disconnected sensation follows you through the day. Months after recovering from COVID-19, you still cannot trust your own balance.

You are not imagining this.

Research published in Frontiers in Neurology found that 60% of Long COVID patients experience persistent dizziness or vertigo, often lasting nearly a year after their initial infection. https://www.cognitivefxusa.com/blog/long-covid-dizziness. For many, these symptoms become the defining feature of their post-COVID life, affecting everything from work performance to simply walking across a room.

The good news: Long COVID dizziness is treatable. Understanding why your brain and body are responding this way is the first step toward recovery. This guide explains what is happening in your vestibular and nervous systems, why symptoms persist, and what treatment approaches actually work based on current medical research".

​

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This is how ME/CFS started for me. Woke up one morning completely fine until I stood up and was never the same again. It will be 35 years ago next week and I still have Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) and recurrent inner ear viral infections.
 
Mij said:
Long Covid Dizziness: Causes, Treatment & Recovery

January 29, 2026

"The room spins when you stand up. A foggy, disconnected sensation follows you through the day. Months after recovering from COVID-19, you still cannot trust your own balance.

You are not imagining this.

Research published in Frontiers in Neurology found that 60% of Long COVID patients experience persistent dizziness or vertigo, often lasting nearly a year after their initial infection. https://www.cognitivefxusa.com/blog/long-covid-dizziness. For many, these symptoms become the defining feature of their post-COVID life, affecting everything from work performance to simply walking across a room.

The good news: Long COVID dizziness is treatable. Understanding why your brain and body are responding this way is the first step toward recovery. This guide explains what is happening in your vestibular and nervous systems, why symptoms persist, and what treatment approaches actually work based on current medical research".

​

​

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This site is selling an "intensive treatment" claiming to deliver "90% recovery" in one week.
 
The site also says this:
Average duration in months
Research shows Long COVID dizziness persists an average of 43 weeks (approximately 10 months) after initial infection.

My dizziness/PVFS lasted 9 months after vertigo onset and thought I had recovered and returned to work, but I relapsed and resigned from my job.

I don't know what type of treatment he offers? But then the article goes on about micro clots . . . I had zero treatments, only tests done at the hospital.

Maybe I would have benefitted from some type of treatment early in the illness?

I think I have some vestibular damage at this point.
 
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