Covid-19 e audição: uma proposta de intervenção fonoaudiológica em adultos

Abstract

The COVID-19 infection, caused by the SARS-CoV2 agent, had a devastating effect on the population, leaving sequels in subjects affected by the virus. This can affect the central nervous system, causing damage to hearing and cognition. Therefore, the objective of this research was to analyze the effectiveness of a therapeutic intervention plan through a cognitive auditory training program for adults, after one year of COVID-19 infection. This research was prospective, quantitative and longitudinal. Thirteen subjects participated after one year of COVID-19, between 18 and 59 years old, four males and nine females. All underwent anamnesis, visual inspection of the external acoustic meatus, pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry and acoustic immitance measurements, as selection procedures. The research procedures carried out in the assessment and reassessment were: assessment of central auditory processing, brief neuropsychological assessment - NEUPSILIN, Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale and Cognitive Potential - P300 with speech stimulus. Cognitive auditory training was carried out in six consecutive sessions, in an open field. In all analyses, a significance level of 5% (p≤0.05) was considered. When comparing the variables between periods, there was a statistically significant difference in the Dichotic Digits Test (p = 0.009), in the Frequency Pattern Test (p = 0.020) and in the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (p = 0.001). It was concluded that cognitive auditory training is an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of speech comprehension and cognition complaints after COVID-19 infection.