Abstract: Introduction: The COVID-19 disease emerged in Wuhan province of China in November 2019 and spread across the world in a short time, resulting in a pandemic. The first case in Turkey was detected on March 11, 2020. The aim of the current study was to reveal the effects of COVID-19 on cranial nerves by monitoring people infected with the disease based on repeated examinations and surveys. Material and Method: The data of 356 patients with a positive COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test who received treatment between June 2020 and August 2020 in our hospital were prospectively evaluated after the study was approved by the relevant ethics committee. Results: Of the 356 patients included in the study, 47 under the age of 18 years were excluded due to their unreliable examination and anamnesis findings. In addition, seven patients that died while in hospital were excluded from the study due to the lack of examination and survey records during their hospitalization. The data of the remaining 302 patients were statistically analyzed. Symptoms of cranial nerve involvement were observed in 135 patients. Conclusion: The COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus commonly results in cranial nerve symptoms. The fact that these findings are more common and severe in COVID-19 than previous SARS and MERS outbreaks suggests that it has a more neurotrophic and more aggressive neuroinvasion. While the negative effects of the virus on sensory functions resulting from cranial nerve involvement are evident, motor functions are rarely affected.

Abstract: Although there is plenty of research on the etiology and treatment of tinnitus, a definitive conclusion has not been reached in most studies. Among etiological factors, vascular and hematological abnormalities can be defined as an important cause in the evaluation of tinnitus cases, and these factors may underly many structural and functional problems. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether there was a correlation between platelet mass index (PMI) and tinnitus. To our knowledge, this is the first study exploring the effect of platelet mass on tinnitus. After reviewing the detailed medical records of 1,079 tinnitus patients that presented to our clinic between January 2019 and May 2020, the hemogram values of 177 cases meeting the study criteria were evaluated. There was no statistically significant difference between the patient and control groups in terms of mean age, gender distribution, and RBC (Red Blood Cell) neutrophil, lymphocyte, PLR and NLR levels (p>0.05). Compared to the control group, the hemoglobin and MPV levels of the patient group were statistically significantly higher (p<0.001), and the platelet level was statistically significantly lower (p=0.033). In addition, the PMI level of the patient group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p<0.001). In conclusion, the NLR, PLR and MPV values were found to be higher in the tinnitus group compared to the control group, as expected. Furthermore, the additional data for tinnitus cases showed that PMI was also observed to be significantly higher compared to the control group, indicating that the study objective was reached. PMI seems to be a predictive value for tinnitus, even in patients with MPV values lower than the normal range. Therefore, we consider that PMI is more sensitive than other markers, especially MPV in inflammatory events.