Is Ear Pain a Symptom of COVID?

There are common signs and symptoms of COVID-19. However, some people with the illness have also been known to experience additional symptoms such as sore throat and ear pain, also called otalgia.

Ear pain is not a common symptom of COVID, but researchers have suggested connections between the pain and the illness. Here’s what you need to know about earaches and COVID.

It can be. One study, including data from 2,247 participants, found that some people with COVID presented with ear pain around the ear or within the ear canal. Redness, swelling, or heat did not accompany the pain.

Earaches aren’t a common symptom of COVID, but it’s not unheard of, Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Health Security, told Health.

COVID as a Possible Ear Pain Cause

Researchers have tried to determine if COVID might cause earache in someone sick with the virus. One small study suggested that SARS-CoV-2 can infect inner ear cells.

The researchers found that the patients with COVID experienced:

• Hearing loss
• Ringing in one or both ears
• A sudden spinning sensation called vertigo

Still, research is ongoing regarding the connection between ear pain and COVID.

Ear Pain Prevalence With COVID

Not everyone who has COVID will experience problems with their ears. Researchers of one study found that 19% of individuals with the illness experienced otalgia.

An earache might be more common with the variants of SARS-CoV-2, including Delta and Omicron, as it seems like they have more upper respiratory tract symptoms, Taylor Heald-Sargent, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics specializing in infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Health.

There’s not a lot of research concerning the causes of ear pain in cases of COVID. However, some researchers hypothesized one reason for COVID-related ear pain. They suggested it was nerve pain due to viral effects on the trigeminal and greater auricular nerves. Both nerves are sensory nerves, but the trigeminal nerve is the primary head and face sensory nerve.

Another cause may be the fact that COVID is a respiratory infection. “Many respiratory infections, especially those that cause sore throats, can sometimes also cause earaches,” said Dr. Adalja. Even sore throats alone may lead to ear pain.

When a person has an upper respiratory infection—which can be triggered by viruses like SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID—the nasal passages can drain mucus into the throat. The throat can send fluid into the eustachian tube, which connects the ears and the throat. The tube can then get clogged and interfere with the ears’ ability to drain fluid, ultimately causing an earache.

Risk Factors

Ear pain during any respiratory illness can happen to anyone. Still, it’s prevalent in young children, whose eustachian tubes are smaller and more easily obstructed, Ellen Wald, MD, an infectious disease physician at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, told Health.

In addition to children being more at risk, people who smoke are also at a higher risk of developing problems with their eustachian tubes. Smoking can damage the hairs in the nose that clear mucus, which can cause mucus to build up.

According to Dr. Adalja, in some cases, fluid in the ear during a bout of COVID could also result in an ear infection—but in that case, the ear isn’t infected with SARS-CoV-2. “Inflammation in the ear can cause secondary bacterial ear infections, just like we see commonly with influenza,” said Dr. Adalja.

Dr. Heald-Sargent also explained that when fluid is stagnant in the ears, it can become infected with bacteria already in the body. In this case, a healthcare provider may prescribe antibiotics to stave off the bacteria—though it’s worth noting that antibiotics don’t help with viral illnesses, including COVID, influenza, and the common cold.

Seek medical attention if you experience severe ear pain that stops suddenly or experience pain, fever, or irritability that worsens or doesn’t improve after 24 to 48 hours.

If you believe you have COVID, get tested and adhere to isolation guidance after confirmation of a positive test. Get emergency care for the following symptoms related to COVID:

• Blue-colored, gray, or pale skin, lips, or nail beds
• Difficulty breathing
• Inability to remain awake or wake up
• New confusion
• Persistent chest pain or pressure

It is possible to experience an earache if you are diagnosed with COVID. COVID itself may cause earache, or it could be due to the combination of respiratory symptoms you may be experiencing.

If you experience an earache associated with other respiratory symptoms, such as a runny or congested nose, a headache, cough, or a sore throat—along with any other potential signs of the virus—it’s worth getting checked out by a healthcare provider and tested for COVID as soon as possible.

The information in this story is accurate as of press time. However, as the situation surrounding COVID continues to evolve, it’s possible that some data have changed since publication. While Health is trying to keep our stories as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations for their own communities by using the CDC, WHO, and their local public health department as resources.