Surprisingly, about 20% of all ear infections afflict adults. The common idea is that ear infections are something that usually impact 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 aren’t properly maintained, they can become a vector for ear infection-causing diseases.
So is it a bad idea to use hearing aids with an ear infection? In general, the answer is yes, but you might not want to. 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 manage and possibly prevent ear infections.
Do hearing aids cause ear infections?
If you’re an adult with hearing loss and you begin to notice the symptoms of an ear infection, you may begin to wonder: did my hearing aids cause this ear infection? Technically, the answer is no. But in order to get the complete picture we have to look at it in greater detail.
Almost 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. In some cases, the inner ear becomes infected after an earlier illness (for example, a sinus infection or a cold). An infection may be caused by fluid accumulation in other situations. And it’s also definitely possible for viruses and bacteria to infect the inner ear through simple transmission.
For people who wear hearing aids, this can be a regular occurrence. The virus or bacteria hitches a ride on your hearing device and, when inserted, gets access to the inner ear. Correct hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is essential for this reason. Essentially, the hearing aid itself does not cause the ear infection, the virus or bacteria does. But your hearing aid is involved in this transmission.
Interactions between hearing aids and ear infections
So what is the degree of interaction between hearing aids and ear infections? The best way to anticipate what to expect is to examine the most prevalent ear infection symptoms. Generally speaking, ear infections will have the following symptoms:
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Ear pain
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Fluid draining from the ear
- Swelling and inflammation
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
- Temporary loss of hearing in some situations
Not everyone will suffer from every symptom, of course. Usually, you will have obvious swelling of the inner ear and ear pain in the infected ear. For individuals with hearing loss, these symptoms can interact unfavorably with your hearing aids. 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 aggravate the tender inflamed infected ear.
Also, with a hearing aid that sits mostly inside the ear canal, fluid drainage can be blocked. When fluids cannot drain, your discomfort might become prolonged. 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 increased 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. 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 annoy me when I have an ear infection… but what can I do? There are a number of steps you can take to lower your risk of getting ear infections and to address the discomfort that an ear infection may cause. Those steps include the following:
- 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.
- Practice good ear hygiene: This means routinely cleaning your outer ear and, generally, keeping your ears clean and dry. Do not try to stick anything in your ear, however, including cotton swabs. Using cotton swabs can push earwax and other debris further into your ear, increasing your chance of developing an infection. This is the opposite of what you’re likely attempting to accomplish.
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: If the pain is prolonged or severe, it’s all right to take a break from wearing your hearing aid until your ears are feeling better. You can use alternative methods of communication with friends and family, like texting, in the meantime.
- 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 often.) Ask us for assistance if you’re not sure how to correctly clean and sanitize your hearing aids.
- Talk to your healthcare provider: If you think that you have an ear infection, speak with your doctor as soon as possible. Treating a hearing aid as soon as possible will reduce the chance of it becoming severe or prolonged.
You probably depend heavily on your hearing aid every day. They help you navigate your world more easily and have better communication with your family and friends. Which means that these little devices will usually be hard to give up, even for a short time. However, you will have a quicker 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.
It’s not uncommon for people to get ear infections. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get treatment or try to prevent them. If you have questions about how ear infections may affect your hearing aid use, give us a call today.