It may be a surprise to many people that roughly 20% of all ear infections happen to adults. The common notion is that ear infections are something that usually impact children. 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 particularly inconvenient, as they can interact with hearing aids in some uncomfortable ways. Hearing aids can also harbor germs that could lead to an ear infection if they aren’t correctly cleaned and maintained.
So is it a bad plan to use hearing aids with an ear infection? In general, the answer is yes, but you might not want to. Ear infections can cause considerable swelling and discomfort in the ear, and your hearing aids might exacerbate those symptoms. But individuals who use hearing aids can take a few steps to treat and possibly prevent ear infections.
Can an ear infection be caused by hearing aids?
You may be wondering if your hearing aid is the cause of your ear infection if you’re an adult with hearing impairment. The technical answer is no. But more nuance is needed to understand the whole story.
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. Often, a previous illness, such as a cold or sinus infection, will result in an infection of the inner ear. An infection may be caused by fluid buildup in other instances. And it’s also definitely possible for viruses and bacteria to infect the inner ear via simple transmission.
For people who use hearing aids, this can be a frequent occurrence. The virus or bacteria hitches a ride on your hearing aid and, upon insertion, gets access to the inner ear. That’s why it is crucial for those with hearing impairments to correctly 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 could play a role in transmission.
Contact between hearing aids and ear infections
So, how do ear infections and hearing aids interact? To understand what to expect, it’s useful to look at the most prevalent symptoms of an ear infection. Here are some of the most common symptoms of ear infections:
- Discharge of fluid from the ear
- Pain in the ear
- In some cases, temporary hearing loss
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Tinnitus (a ringing in the ears)
- Inflammation and swelling
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
Not everybody will experience every symptom, of course. Typically, you will have noticeable inflammation 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 your hearing aid will most likely (at least in part) sit within the ear canal. Your hearing aids may cause added soreness as they aggravate the tender inflamed infected ear.
Also, with a hearing aid that goes mostly inside the ear canal, fluid drainage can be blocked. When fluids cannot drain, your discomfort may 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.
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 doesn’t really work as well as it should. Which means that wearing hearing aids when you have an ear infection can be an absolutely miserable time.
Strategies to wearing hearing aids with an ear infection
So what can you do if your hearing aids are annoying you while you have an ear infection? You can reduce your risk of developing an ear infection and address any discomfort that an ear infection might cause by taking a few steps. Those steps include the following:
- 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 help if you’re not sure how to properly clean and sanitize your hearing aids.
- Talk to your hearing specialist: If your ears start to feel better, but the discomfort from your hearing aids doesn’t go away, consider talking to us to see if you can get a better fit on your devices.
- 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. Using cotton swabs can push earwax and other debris further into your ear, increasing your risk of developing an infection. You’re attempting to accomplish the exact opposite.
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: You can take a break from your hearing aids for a few days if you have severe or lasting pain. During this time off, you can pursue other means of communicating with your loved ones (like texting or writing messages on a piece of paper, and so on).
- 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.
You most likely depend heavily on your hearing aid every day. They help you communicate with family and friends and move around the world more easily. Which means that these little devices will usually be difficult 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. This will help you get back to feeling better sooner.
It’s not uncommon for people to get ear infections. But you should still get treatment if you notice symptoms. If you have questions about how ear infections might affect your hearing aid use, give us a call today.