It might be a surprise to many people that roughly 20% of all ear infections occur in adults. The common notion is that ear infections are something that usually impact children. Ear infections are definitely 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. Hearing aids can also shelter 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 may not want to. Ear infections can cause considerable inflammation and discomfort in the ear, and your hearing aids may exacerbate those symptoms. But individuals who use hearing aids can take a few steps to manage and possibly prevent ear infections.
Can an ear infection be caused by hearing aids?
If you’re an adult with hearing loss and you start to notice the symptoms of an ear infection, you may begin to wonder: did my hearing aids cause my ear infection? Technically, the answer is no. But more nuance is needed 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 number of paths that bacteria and viruses can take on their way to becoming an infection. Often, an earlier illness, such as a cold or sinus infection, will lead to an infection of the inner ear. In other situations, fluid buildup might lead to an infection. It’s also completely feasible that a virus or bacteria directly infected the inner ear by physical transmission.
For individuals who wear hearing aids, this can be a frequent occurrence. The virus or bacteria latches onto your hearing device and, when inserted, gets access to the inner ear. Correct hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is crucial for this reason. So the virus or bacteria is actually the cause of the infection, not the hearing aid itself. But your device could play a role in transmission.
How ear infections interact with hearing aids
So what is the degree of interaction between hearing aids and ear infections? The best way to anticipate what to expect is to look at the most prevalent ear infection symptoms. Generally speaking, ear infections will have the following symptoms:
- Tinnitus (a ringing in the ears)
- In some cases, temporary hearing loss
- Swelling and inflammation
- Dizziness or vertigo
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
- Ear pain
- Drainage of fluid from the ear
Not everyone will experience every symptom, of course. In the majority of cases, your infected ear will hurt and there will most likely be obvious swelling around the inner ear. These symptoms can have a negative interaction with hearing aids for individuals with hearing loss. That’s because the hearing aid is inside the infected ear (at least some of it). Your hearing aids might cause added soreness as they aggravate the tender inflamed infected ear.
Additionally, any in-the-canal hearing aid can prevent drainage. When fluids can’t 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 impede the operation of your hearing aid. So your hearing aids aren’t functioning at peak performance and your ears are in pain. This means that you will have a horrible time wearing your hearing aid while you have an ear infection.
Ear infection & hearing aid strategies
You might 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. Here are a few of those steps:
- Practice good ear hygiene: This means routinely cleaning your outer ear and, generally, keeping your ears dry and clean. 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 push earwax and debris further up into your ear canal. This is the opposite of what you’re likely trying to accomplish.
- Talk to your hearing specialist: Think about coming in to have your hearing aid re-fit if your ear infection clears but your hearing aid is still not comfortable.
- Regularly clean your hearing aids: Keeping your device clean can lessen the chance of transmitting bacteria or viruses to your ears. If you don’t know how to clean and sanitize hearing aids, talk to us for some instruction.
- Talk to your healthcare provider: If you suspect that you have an ear infection, speak with your doctor as soon as possible. The sooner you treat the ear infection, the less severe or prolonged your symptoms may be.
- 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 persistent pain. You can use alternative methods of communication with family and friends, like texting, in the meantime.
You probably depend heavily on your hearing aid every day. They help you communicate with loved ones 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 quicker.
It’s not uncommon for individuals to get ear infections. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek out treatment or try to prevent them. Contact us if you’re wondering how your hearing aid use will be impacted by an ear infection.