Surprisingly, around 20% of all ear infections happen to adults. Most individuals think of ear infections as a childhood sickness, something that affects primarily young kids. And it’s accurate that ear infections are more prevalent in children, but they also occur frequently in adults.
For adults with hearing impairments or hearing loss, ear infections can be particularly inconvenient, as they can interact with hearing aids in some unpleasant ways. Hearing aids can also shelter germs that could result in an ear infection if they aren’t properly cleaned and maintained.
So, you might be wondering: Can I use hearing aids while I have an ear infection? Overall, the answer is yes, but you may not want to. Ear infections can cause significant swelling 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 treat and possibly prevent ear infections.
Do hearing aids cause ear infections?
You may be questioning if your hearing aid is the cause of your ear infection if you’re an adult with hearing loss. Technically, the answer is no. But in order to get the complete picture we need to look at it in greater detail.
Nearly all ear infections are caused by bacteria or a virus that gets into the ear. There are quite a few paths that bacteria and viruses can take on their way to becoming an infection. Sometimes, a previous illness, such as a cold or sinus infection, will result in an infection of the inner ear. In other situations, fluid accumulation may result in an infection. And it’s also certainly possible for viruses and bacteria to infect the inner ear through simple transmission.
This can occur with some frequency to people who wear hearing aids. The virus or bacteria hitches a ride on your hearing device and, when inserted, gains access to the inner ear. That’s why it is critical for individuals who have hearing loss 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 hearing aid is involved in this transmission.
How ear infections interact with hearing aids
So what is the level of interaction between hearing aids and ear infections? 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 prevalent symptoms of ear infections:
- Inflammation and swelling
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
- Temporary loss of hearing in some cases
- Drainage of fluid from the ear
- Ear pain
- Vertigo or dizziness
Not everyone will suffer from every symptom, of course. Typically, you will have noticeable 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 most likely (at least in part) reside within the ear canal. Because the ear canal is inflamed and tender, your hearing aids could cause additional discomfort.
Also, with a hearing aid that sits primarily inside the ear canal, fluid drainage can be blocked. Your infection and discomfort might 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.
The performance of your hearing aid can also be impacted by the extra moisture. So your hearing aids aren’t functioning at peak performance and your ears are in pain. Which means that wearing hearing aids when you have an ear infection can be a downright miserable time.
Strategies to wearing hearing aids with an ear infection
You may now be thinking: my hearing aids annoy me when I have an ear infection… but what can I do? You can lower your risk of developing an ear infection and address 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: You should talk to your doctor sooner than later if you think you may be developing an ear infection. The sooner you address the ear infection, the less severe or prolonged your symptoms will be.
- Practice good ear hygiene: It’s essential to keep your ears dry and clean and regularly clean your outer ear. However, you should never stick any object in your ear and that includes cotton swabs. With a cotton swabs, your risk of developing an ear infection increases because you could push 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 hearing specialist: If your ears begin to feel better, but the discomfort from your hearing aids doesn’t recede, consider talking to us to see if you can get a better fit on your devices.
- Regularly clean your hearing aids: Keeping your device clean can decrease the chance of transmitting bacteria or viruses to your ears. Ask us for help if you’re not sure how to correctly clean and sanitize your hearing aids.
- 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.
Hearing aids are likely a crucial part of your daily life. They help you navigate your world more easily and have better communication with your family and friends. That makes it very hard 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 recuperate 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 affected by an ear infection.