She had gone to Goa with friends in May when she first began to lose hearing in her right ear. Within 24 hours she lost hearing in her right ear entirely and felt her left ear too getting affected.
The singer’s PR team said all her stage shows, including one in London, have been cancelled.Her manager, Niraj Mishra, said all treatment options are being explored, both within India and in other countries.
In an Instagram post, the actor wrote that as she walked out of a flight in Goa she felt like she couldn’t hear anything. While initially she thought it was because of cabin pressure and that her ear would pop soon, it only became worse as time passed.
By evening, she felt, she had lost hearing in her right ear completely and she could feel voices and sounds fading in her left ear too.
According to sources at Lilavati Hospital, where she was admitted upon her return from Goa, Yagnik was diagnosed with sensorineural nerve hearing loss.
“It has been diagnosed by my doctors as a rare sensory neural nerve hearing loss, due to a viral attack… This sudden, major setback has caught me completely unawares,” she wrote in her post. While seeking prayers from people, she added a word of caution for fans and young colleagues about exposure to very loud music and headphones.
Doctors said that sensorineural nerve hearing loss is hard to reverse. However, there are several treatment options available to manage the symptoms and improve quality of life for those with this condition. Treatment for this condition include medication, cochlear implants, hearing aids and assistive listening devices.
Dr Devkumar Rengaraja, consultant-ENT, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi, said that they had seen a lot of cases of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) after viral infections, especially during Covid-19 pandemic.
“Other causes being head trauma, illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, exposure to loud noise, aging, congenital defects in the ear, etc,” he said.
Dr Vikas Agarwal, an ENT specialist, said that the condition typically affects hearing on one side and if treated promptly, recovery was possible in about one-third of the cases. “Delaying treatment reduces the chances of recovery, especially after two weeks,” he said.
