Surprisingly, around 20% of all ear infections afflict adults. The common idea is that ear infections are something that normally impact children. And it’s true that ear infections are more common in kids, but they also occur frequently in adults.
Ear infections can be especially unpleasant for people who have hearing loss because they can interfere with their hearing aids. Hearing aids can also harbor germs that could lead to an ear infection if they aren’t properly cleaned and maintained.
So is it a bad plan to use hearing aids with an ear infection? Overall, the answer is yes, but you might not want to. Hearing aids could aggravate the discomfort and swelling caused by an ear infection. However, there are some steps that people who use hearing aids can take to help prevent and manage ear infection symptoms.
Do hearing aids cause ear infections?
You may be wondering 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 more nuance is required to understand the whole story.
The vast majority of all ear infections are caused by viruses or bacteria that then infect the inner ear. There are a wide range of vectors that can lead to infection. In some circumstances, the inner ear becomes infected after a past illness (for instance, a sinus infection or a cold). An infection might be caused by fluid accumulation in other instances. And it’s also certainly possible for viruses and bacteria to infect the inner ear via simple transmission.
This can occur with some frequency to people who wear hearing aids. The virus or bacteria hitches a ride on your hearing aid and, when inserted, gains access to the inner ear. That’s why it is crucial for individuals with hearing impairments to correctly maintain and clean their devices. Essentially, the hearing aid itself does not cause the ear infection, the virus or bacteria does. But your device could play a role in transmission.
Interactions between hearing aids and ear infections
So what is the level of interaction between hearing aids and ear infections? To know what to expect, it’s helpful to look at the most common symptoms of an ear infection. In general, ear infections will present with the following symptoms:
- Pain in the ear
- Tinnitus (a ringing in the ears)
- Swelling and inflammation
- Dizziness or vertigo
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
- Drainage of fluid from the ear
- In some instances, temporary hearing loss
Not everybody will experience every symptom, of course. Typically, 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 your hearing aid will likely (at least partially) sit within the ear canal. Because the ear canal is inflamed and tender, your hearing aids might cause extra discomfort.
Also, with a hearing aid that sits mostly inside the ear canal, fluid drainage can be obstructed. Your infection and discomfort may last longer if fluid is trapped in your ear. The pain and pressure in your ears will be increased because 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. Which means that wearing hearing aids when you have an ear infection can be a downright miserable time.
Ear infection & hearing aid solutions
So what can you do if your hearing aids are bothering you while you have an ear infection? You can reduce your risk of getting an ear infection and manage any discomfort that an ear infection might cause by taking a few steps. Here are a few of those steps:
- Talk to your healthcare provider: If you suspect that you have an ear infection, speak with your doctor as soon as possible. Treating a hearing aid as soon as possible will decrease the risk of it becoming severe or prolonged.
- Practice good ear hygiene: This means routinely cleaning your outer ear and, generally, keeping your ears clean and dry. However, you should never stick any object inside of your ear and that includes 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 exact opposite of what you’re likely trying to accomplish.
- 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.
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: You can take a break from your hearing aids for a while if you have severe or lasting pain. During this time off, you can pursue other ways of communicating with your loved ones (such as texting or writing messages on a piece of paper, and so on).
- 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 happens less often.) If you don’t know how to clean and sanitize hearing aids, talk to us for a quick tutorial.
You probably depend heavily on your hearing aid every day. They help you get around your world more easily and have better communication with your friends and family. That makes it very difficult to give up your hearing aid even for short periods. However, taking a break from your hearing aids while you have an ear infection can help you recover from your sickness more quickly and more comfortably. This will help you get back to feeling better sooner.
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.