It may be a surprise to many people that roughly 20% of all ear infections occur in adults. The common idea is that ear infections are something that usually affect kids. Ear infections are definitely more prevalent 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 unpleasant ways. Hearing aids can also harbor germs that could result in an ear infection if they are not properly cleaned and maintained.
So is it a bad plan to use hearing aids with an ear infection? You can, but it may not be something you want to do. Hearing aids could aggravate the discomfort and inflammation caused by an ear infection. But people who use hearing aids can take a few steps to treat and possibly prevent ear infections.
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 impairment. Technically, the answer is no. But in order to get the complete picture we have to look at it in greater detail.
The vast majority of all ear infections are a result of viruses or bacteria that then infect the inner ear. There are a number of paths that bacteria and viruses can take on their way to becoming an infection. Sometimes, an earlier illness, such as a cold or sinus infection, will result in an infection of the inner ear. An infection might be caused by fluid buildup in other situations. It’s also entirely feasible that a virus or bacteria directly infected the inner ear by physical transmission.
This can happen with some frequency to people who use hearing aids. Your hearing aid collects this bacteria or virus and then gets inserted directly into your ear. That’s why it is crucial for those who have hearing loss 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 hearing aid does play a part 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 look at the most common ear infection symptoms. Here are several of the most prevalent symptoms of ear infections:
- Fluid draining from the ear
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Temporary loss of hearing in some cases
- Swelling and inflammation
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Ear pain
Not everybody will suffer from every symptom, of course. Usually, you will have obvious swelling of the inner ear and ear pain in the infected ear. These symptoms can have a negative interaction with hearing aids for individuals with hearing loss. That’s because the hearing aid goes inside the infected ear (at least some of it). Because the ear canal is inflamed and tender, your hearing aids might cause additional discomfort.
Also, with a hearing aid that goes primarily inside the ear canal, fluid drainage can be blocked. Your infection and discomfort might last longer if fluid is stuck in your ear. The pain and pressure in your ears will be increased as a result of this. This pressure can be even more marked when you’re wearing your hearing aid.
This added moisture can also impair the operation of your hearing aid. So your ears are in more pain and your hearing aid doesn’t really work 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 while you have an ear infection? There are several steps you can take to lower your risk of developing ear infections and to manage the discomfort that an ear infection may cause. Those steps include the following:
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: If the pain is persistent or severe, it’s okay to take a break from wearing your hearing aid until your ears are feeling better. During this interim period, you can adopt other means of communicating with your loved ones (such as texting or writing messages on a piece of paper, and so on).
- Talk to your hearing specialist: Consider coming in to have your hearing aid re-fit if your ear infection clears but your hearing aid is still uncomfortable.
- Practice good ear hygiene: It’s important to keep your ears clean and dry and routinely clean your outer ear. However, you should never stick any object inside of your ear and that includes cotton swabs. With a cotton swabs, your chance of developing an ear infection increases because you could jam earwax and debris further up into your ear canal. This is the exact opposite of what you’re likely trying to do.
- Talk to your healthcare provider: You should talk to your doctor sooner than later if you believe you may be developing an ear infection. The sooner you address the ear infection, the less severe or prolonged your symptoms will be.
- Regularly clean your hearing aids: Making sure your devices are clean can help to ensure they aren’t transferring bacteria and viruses to your ears (or, at least, that it occurs less frequently.) Ask us for assistance if you’re not sure how to properly clean and disinfect your hearing aids.
Hearing aids are likely a crucial part of your everyday life. They help you get around your world more easily and have better communication with your friends and family. That makes it really hard to give up your hearing aid even for short periods. However, you will have a faster recovery from your ear infection if you take a break from wearing them until you heal up. This will help you get back to feeling better sooner.
It’s not unusual for people to get ear infections. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek out treatment or try to prevent them. If you have questions about how ear infections might affect your hearing aid use, give us a call today.