It may be a surprise to many that approximately 20% of all ear infections occur in adults. Most people think of ear infections as a childhood ailment, something that impacts primarily young kids. Ear infections are certainly more common in children but adults do get them too.
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. Also, when hearing aids are not correctly 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? You can, but it might not be something you want to do. Ear infections can cause considerable swelling and discomfort in the ear, and your hearing aids might worsen those symptoms. However, there are some steps that those who use hearing aids can take to help avoid and manage ear infection symptoms.
Do hearing aids cause ear infections?
You might be questioning if your hearing aid is the cause of your ear infection if you’re an adult with hearing loss. Technically, the answer is no. But more nuance is required to understand the complete story.
Nearly all ear infections are caused by bacteria or a virus that gets into the ear. There are a wide range of vectors that can lead to infection. In some instances, the inner ear becomes infected after a past illness (for example, a sinus infection or a cold). In other cases, fluid accumulation may result in an infection. And it’s also definitely possible for viruses and bacteria to infect the inner ear via direct transmission.
This can happen with some frequency to individuals who use hearing aids. The virus or bacteria latches onto your hearing aid and, when inserted, gets access to the inner ear. That’s why it is crucial for individuals with hearing loss to properly maintain and clean their devices. In other words, the hearing aid itself doesn’t cause the ear infection, the virus or bacteria does. But your hearing aid is involved in this transmission.
Contact between hearing aids and ear infections
So, how do ear infections and hearing aids interact? The best way to anticipate what to expect is to examine the most common ear infection symptoms. Here are some of the most prevalent symptoms of ear infections:
- Temporary loss of hearing in some situations
- Vertigo or dizziness
- Pain in the ear
- Ear pressure or a feeling of fullness
- Tinnitus (a ringing in the ears)
- Fluid draining from the ear
- Swelling and inflammation
Obviously, everybody will experience the symptoms in their own way. Usually, you will have obvious swelling of the inner ear and ear pain in the infected ear. For people with hearing loss, these symptoms can interact unfavorably with your hearing aids. That’s because the hearing aid is inside the infected ear (at least some of it). Because the ear canal is inflamed and tender, your hearing aids could cause extra discomfort.
Additionally, any in-the-canal hearing aid can prevent drainage. When fluids cannot drain, your discomfort might become prolonged. The pain and pressure in your ears will be increased as a result of this. When you are wearing your hearing aid, pressure can be even more uncomfortable.
This increased moisture can also impair the function of your hearing aid. So your ears are in more pain and your hearing aid isn’t really working as well as it should. This means that you will have a terrible time wearing your hearing aid while you have an ear infection.
Ear infection & hearing aid solutions
You may now be thinking: my hearing aids bother me when I have an ear infection… but what can I do? There are several steps you can take to lower your risk of developing ear infections and to address the discomfort that an ear infection may cause. Those steps include the following:
- Talk to your healthcare provider: You should speak with your doctor sooner than later if you think you might be developing an ear infection. The sooner you treat the ear infection, the less severe or prolonged your symptoms will be.
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: You can take a break from your hearing aids for a while if you have significant or lasting pain. During this time off, you can adopt other ways of communicating with your loved ones (like texting or writing messages on a piece of paper, and so on).
- Talk to your hearing specialist: If your ears start to feel better, but the discomfort from your hearing aids doesn’t go away, think about talking to us to see if you can get a better fit on your devices.
- 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 help if you’re not sure how to correctly clean and sanitize your hearing aids.
- Practice good ear hygiene: This means regularly cleaning your outer ear and, generally, keeping your ears dry and clean. Don’t try to stick any object in your ear, however, including cotton swabs. With a cotton swabs, your risk of developing an ear infection increases because you could push earwax and debris further up into your ear canal. This is the exact opposite of what you’re likely trying to accomplish.
Hearing aids are likely a crucial part of your everyday life. They help you navigate your world more easily and have better communication with your family and friends. Which means that these little devices can often be hard to give up, even for a short time. However, you will have a faster recovery from your ear infection if you take a break from wearing them until you heal up. That means you can get back to enjoying what you hear faster.
Ear infections are relatively common. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get treatment or try to prevent them. Contact us if you’re wondering how your hearing aid use will be impacted by an ear infection.
