Dr Murari Kaimal Verified

ASome dry coughs are Post viral infection which may settle down after a few weeks. But, majority of the dry coughs maybe secondary to airway allergies like Bronchial asthma/ bronchitis, which may show an episodic or seasonal pattern. Some can be secondary to more serious conditions like heart or lung disorders which may need further expert management of the same. Another very common cause is GORD+LPR ie acid-reflux to throat leading to chronic irritation and cough. A small fraction may also be a side effect of some medications, especially secondary to certain anti-hypertensive medications, which tend to stop once the medicine is stopped. A persisting cough for more than 6 weeks can be TB also but is usually associated with phlegm or blood and is not typically dry. As most of the time cough is a symptom of an underlying serious condition, it is advised to get a comprehensive health checkup with your doctor to identify the root cause and avoid self-medication.

AMorning Kunal, Sensory neural hearing loss is secondary to damage of the Hearinf organ (Cochlea)/ the nerve itself. This can be due to multiple causes, one of them is exposure to sound. But, can very well be secondary to viral infections, which is more common and is known as Labyrinthitis, which is actually far more common than noise-induced hearing loss. In your case, I suspect it is probably secondary to the COVID infection which is again a viral infection and can cause hearing issues. It is hard to predict the outcome of the hearing loss as it varies from individuals, but we can say in general 60-70% of such hearign loss may recover fully/ partially in 6-12 months and around 30-40 % unfortunately it may persist/ get worse. There is no actual treatment other than the initial hearing loss control with steroids. But it is important to rule out other factors like- Thyroid issues, Diabetes, Auto-immune conditions which can again cause this problem. A hearing aid can be prescribed for persistent Sensory neural hearing loss affecting your work or routine activities. However, in your case with only minimal loss, this may not be so relevant.