It may be a surprise to many that roughly 20% of all ear infections occur in adults. The common notion is that ear infections are something that usually impact children. And it’s accurate that ear infections are more prevalent in kids, but they also occur frequently in adults.
For adults with hearing impairments or hearing loss, ear infections can be especially inconvenient, as they can interact with hearing aids in some uncomfortable ways. Additionally, when hearing aids aren’t properly maintained, they can become a vehicle for ear infection-causing diseases.
So is it a bad plan to use hearing aids with an ear infection? Overall, the answer is yes, but you may not want to. Ear infections can cause substantial swelling and discomfort in the ear, and your hearing aids might exacerbate those symptoms. However, there are some steps that those who use hearing aids can take to help avoid and treat ear infection symptoms.
Do hearing aids cause ear infections?
If you’re an adult with hearing impairment and you begin to notice the symptoms of an ear infection, you might begin to wonder: did my hearing aids cause this ear infection? The technical answer is no. But in order to get the complete picture we need to look at it in greater detail.
Nearly all ear infections are caused by bacteria or a virus that gets into the ear. There are a number of paths that bacteria and viruses can take on their way to becoming an infection. Often, a previous illness, like a cold or sinus infection, will result in an infection of the inner ear. An infection might be caused by fluid accumulation in other situations. It’s also entirely feasible that a virus or bacteria directly infected the inner ear by physical transmission.
This can occur with some frequency to individuals who use hearing aids. The virus or bacteria latches onto your hearing device and, when inserted, gets access to the inner ear. That’s why it is critical for individuals who have hearing impairments to properly maintain and clean their devices. In other words, the hearing aid itself does not cause the ear infection, the virus or bacteria does. But your device might play a role in transmission.
How ear infections interact with hearing aids
So what is the degree of interaction between hearing aids and ear infections? The best way to anticipate what to expect is to look at the most prevalent ear infection symptoms. Here are some of the most prevalent symptoms of ear infections:
- Fluid draining from the ear
- In some instances, temporary hearing loss
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Ear pain
- Ear pressure or a feeling of fullness
- Swelling and inflammation
Obviously, everybody will experience the symptoms in their own way. Usually, you will have obvious inflammation of the inner ear and ear pain in the infected ear. These symptoms can have an adverse interaction with hearing aids for people with hearing loss. That’s because your hearing aid will most likely (at least in part) sit within the ear canal. Your hearing aids could cause added soreness as they irritate the tender inflamed infected ear.
Additionally, any in-the-canal hearing aid can stop drainage. When fluids cannot drain, your discomfort might become prolonged. This will also increase the pressure (and pain) you feel in your ears. When you are wearing your hearing aid, pressure can be even more uncomfortable.
The functionality of your hearing aid can also be impacted by the excess moisture. So your ears are in more pain and your hearing aid isn’t really working as well as it should. Which means that wearing hearing aids when you have an ear infection can be a downright miserable time.
Ear infection & hearing aid strategies
So what can you do if your hearing aids are bothering you during an ear infection? There are a number of steps you can take to lower your risk of developing ear infections and to address the discomfort that an ear infection might cause. Those steps include the following:
- Practice good ear hygiene: This means regularly cleaning your outer ear and, generally, keeping your ears dry and clean. Don’t try to stick anything in your ear, however, including cotton swabs. Using cotton swabs can drive earwax and other debris further into your ear, increasing your risk of developing an infection. This is the opposite of what you’re likely trying to do.
- Talk to your healthcare provider: If you suspect that you have an ear infection, speak with your doctor as soon as possible. The sooner you treat the ear infection, the less severe or prolonged your symptoms may be.
- Regularly clean your hearing aids: Making sure your devices are clean can help to ensure they aren’t transmitting bacteria and viruses to your ears (or, at least, that it happens less frequently.) Ask us for assistance if you’re not certain how to correctly clean and sanitize your hearing aids.
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: You can take a break from your hearing aids for a few days if you have significant or lasting pain. You can use alternative methods of communication with friends and family, like texting, in the meantime.
- Talk to your hearing specialist: If your ears start to feel better, but the discomfort from your hearing aids doesn’t recede, think about talking to us to see if you can get a better fit on your devices.
You most likely depend heavily on your hearing aid every day. They help you communicate with loved ones and move around the world more easily. Which means that these little devices can often be hard to give up, even for a short time. However, taking a break from your hearing aids while you have an ear infection can help you recuperate from your sickness more quickly and more comfortably. This will help you get back to feeling better sooner.
Ear infections are relatively common. But you should still get treatment if you notice symptoms. If you have questions about how ear infections may impact your hearing aid use, give us a call today.