Ep. 2020-13: Interview with Kevin Munro, PhD, MsC

What's the link between hearing loss and COVID-19? Kevin Munro, PhD, MsC, discusses the existing evidence and research that needs to be done. Read the transcript here.

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✦ The floor

Discussion

Signed responses from readers of the wire.

✦ Related stories ✦

PubMed·Journal article·Research (general)·4w ago

Impaired speech-in-noise perception in individuals with a history of hearing symptoms after noise exposure

Audiologists should consider supplementing standard audiograms with speech-in-noise testing for patients reporting noise-exposure symptoms, as normal thresholds alone may miss clinically meaningful hearing dysfunction consistent with cochlear synaptopathy (hidden hearing loss).

PubMed·Journal article·Research (general)·2mo ago

Effects of Hearing Intervention on Cognitive Function in Patients with Presbycusis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis provides the strongest available evidence that hearing intervention positively impacts cognitive function in older adults with age-related hearing loss; audiologists should use these findings to counsel patients and reinforce the...

PubMed·Journal article·Research (general)·2mo ago

The Genetic Causes of Auditory Neuropathy: A Systematic Review

Genetic testing for auditory neuropathy is clinically meaningful because the causative gene can influence cochlear implant candidacy and expected outcomes; audiologists should advocate for genetic workup in confirmed auditory neuropathy cases.

PubMed·Journal article·Research (general)·7w ago

Hearing Loss in Adults With Diabetes and Prediabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Audiologists should consider routine hearing screening for adult patients with known diabetes or prediabetes, as this meta-analysis provides strong epidemiological evidence linking both conditions to increased prevalence and severity of hearing loss.

PubMed·Preprint·Research (general)·5w ago

Older adults show overexaggerated and larger noise-related degradation in their neural tracking of speech

This finding suggests age-related declines in how the brain tracks speech in noise go beyond peripheral hearing loss; audiologists should be cautious attributing all speech-in-noise difficulty in older adults to the audiogram alone, though the preprint has not yet been...

PubMed·Journal article·Research (general)·6w ago

ATP6V1B1-A Novel Genetic Association Between Pendred Imaging Phenotype and Renal Tubular Acidosis

Audiologists and otolaryngologists encountering patients with the Pendred imaging phenotype (enlarged vestibular aqueduct/cochlear malformation pattern) should consider ATP6V1B1 mutation testing and prompt referral for renal evaluation, as co-existing distal renal tubular...

PubMed·Journal article·Research (general)·3w ago

Restoration, Not Bypass: Otoferlin Gene Therapy and a New Era in Hearing Loss Treatment

Audiologists should be aware that FDA-approved otoferlin gene therapy (Otarmeni) is now a biological treatment option for patients with confirmed biallelic OTOF-associated SNHL; refer eligible patients to specialized otolaryngology or gene therapy centers for evaluation.

PubMed·Journal article·Research (general)·2w ago

Hearing in noise and cognitive status in older adults: Biomarker associations and bidirectional survival analyses

Audiologists should be aware that hearing-in-noise deficits in older adults may be associated with Alzheimer's disease biomarkers and cognitive decline, strengthening the rationale for cognitive screening referrals; however, the bidirectional causal relationship requires further...