It might be a surprise to many that roughly 20% of all ear infections happen to adults. The common notion is that ear infections are something that usually impact kids. And it’s accurate that ear infections are more common in children, but they also occur frequently in adults.
Ear infections can be particularly uncomfortable for people with hearing loss because they can interfere with their hearing aids. Also, when hearing aids aren’t correctly maintained, they can become a vector for ear infection-causing diseases.
So is it a bad plan to use hearing aids with an ear infection? You can, but it might not be something you want to do. 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.
Can an ear infection be caused by hearing aids?
If you’re an adult with hearing impairment and you begin to notice the symptoms of an ear infection, you may begin to wonder: did my hearing aids cause my ear infection? The technical answer is no. But in order to get the complete picture we need 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 wide variety of vectors that can result in infection. Sometimes, an earlier illness, like a cold or sinus infection, will result in an infection of the inner ear. In other situations, fluid accumulation may lead to an infection. And it’s also certainly possible for viruses and bacteria to infect the inner ear via direct transmission.
This can happen with some frequency to people who wear hearing aids. Your hearing aid collects this bacteria or virus and then gets inserted directly into your ear. Proper hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is crucial for this reason. Essentially, the hearing aid itself doesn’t cause the ear infection, the virus or bacteria does. But your device may play a role in transmission.
How ear infections interact with hearing aids
So, how do ear infections and hearing aids interact? To know what to expect, it’s useful to look at the most prevalent symptoms of an ear infection. In general, ear infections will present with the following symptoms:
- In some instances, temporary hearing loss
- Fluid draining from the ear
- Ear pressure or a feeling of fullness
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Ear pain
- Inflammation and swelling
- Vertigo or dizziness
Not everybody will suffer from every symptom, of course. In the majority of circumstances, your infected ear will hurt and there will most likely be obvious inflammation around the inner 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 partially) sit within the ear canal. Because the ear canal is irritated and tender, your hearing aids may cause additional discomfort.
Additionally, any in-the-canal hearing aid can stop drainage. Your infection and discomfort might last longer if fluid is stuck in your ear. This will also increase the pressure (and pain) you feel in your ears. This pressure can be even more pronounced when you’re wearing your hearing aid.
This added 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 during an ear infection? There are several steps you can take to lower your risk of getting ear infections and to manage the discomfort that an ear infection may cause. Those steps include the following:
- Talk to your hearing specialist: If your ears begin to feel better, but the discomfort from your hearing aids doesn’t recede, think about talking to us to see if you can get a better fit on your devices.
- 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 feel better. During this interim period, 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).
- Talk to your healthcare provider: You should talk to your doctor sooner than later if you think you might be developing an ear infection. The sooner you address the ear infection, the less severe or prolonged your symptoms will be.
- 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.) Ask us for help if you’re not sure how to properly clean and disinfect your hearing aids.
- 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 in your ear and that includes cotton swabs. Using cotton swabs can drive earwax and other debris further into your ear, increasing your risk of developing an infection. You’re attempting to accomplish the exact opposite.
Hearing aids are most likely a crucial part of your daily life. They help you communicate with family and friends and move about the world more easily. Which means that these little devices can often be hard to give up, even for a short time. However, you will have a speedier 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 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.
