Because we have previously observed dysregulation of IL-1β Pathak et al. 2011 and IL-6 Gorthey et al. 2021 in patients with corticosteroid-resistant AIED, we queried whether these cytokines similarly were involved in the perceived hearing decline in patients exposed to COVID-19 through infection or vaccination, and whether corticosteroid-response influenced cytokine expression. Here, IL1B is linked to infection.