Impact of COVID-19 Medication (Favipiravir and Hydroxychloroquine) on High Frequency Hearing

During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was ongoing investigation into potentially effective treatments. Antiviral medications such as Favipiravir and Hydroxychloroquine were employed to treat COVID-19 infections. However, limited studies have examined the adverse effects of these medications on hearing, particularly at extended high frequencies. This study included 10 subjects who had received medications like Azithromycin, a combination of Favipiravir and Hydroxychloroquine, and Hydroxychloroquine alone as part of their COVID-19 treatment. These subjects had previously undergone extended high-frequency audiometry testing (from 8 to 20 kHz) as part of another project conducted by the same department before contracting COVID-19. Post-COVID-19 extended high-frequency audiometry was performed 1 month after the patients received a negative RT-PCR report. The results were then compared using a Paired t-test. A significant shift in the thresholds of high frequencies above 8-20 kHz is found in subjects who had received Favipiravir and Hydroxychloroquine medications. We observed a significant impact of COVID-19 medications on high-frequency hearing, which tends to go unnoticed in regular pure-tone audiometry evaluations. Therefore, our study emphasizes the need for regular follow-ups, including detailed audiological assessments that incorporate extended high-frequency testing, at least once every 3 months for patients who have taken medications for COVID-19 treatment.