It might be a surprise to many that approximately 20% of all ear infections occur in adults. The common idea is that ear infections are something that normally affect children. Ear infections are definitely more common in kids but adults do get them too.
Ear infections can be especially uncomfortable for individuals who have hearing loss because they can interact with their hearing aids. Also, when hearing aids aren’t correctly maintained, they can become a vehicle for ear infection-causing diseases.
So is it a bad plan to use hearing aids with an ear infection? You can, but it may 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 treat and possibly prevent ear infections.
Can an ear infection be caused by hearing aids?
You might 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 have to view it in greater detail.
Almost 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. In some cases, the inner ear becomes infected after a previous illness (for instance, a sinus infection or a cold). An infection may be caused by fluid accumulation in other instances. And it’s also certainly possible for viruses and bacteria to infect the inner ear through direct transmission.
This can happen 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. Correct hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is essential for this reason. So the virus or bacteria is really the cause of the infection, not the hearing aid itself. 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? The best way to anticipate what to expect is to examine the most prevalent ear infection symptoms. Here are a few of the most prevalent symptoms of ear infections:
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Ear pain
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Fluid draining from the ear
- Inflammation and swelling
- In some instances, temporary hearing loss
- Ear pressure or a feeling of fullness
Not everybody will experience every symptom, of course. Usually, you will have noticeable inflammation of the inner ear and ear pain in the infected ear. These symptoms can have an adverse 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. Your hearing aids might cause added soreness as they aggravate the tender inflamed infected ear.
Additionally, any in-the-canal hearing aid can stop drainage. When fluids cannot drain, your discomfort may become prolonged. 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 function of your hearing aid. So your hearing aids aren’t working 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.
Strategies to wearing hearing aids with an ear infection
You might now be thinking: my hearing aids bother me when I have an ear infection… but what can I do? You can reduce your risk of getting 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: If you suspect that you have an ear infection, talk to your doctor as soon as you can. Treating a hearing aid as soon as possible will reduce the chance of it becoming severe or prolonged.
- Talk to your hearing specialist: Think about coming in to have your hearing aid re-fit if your ear infection goes away but your hearing aid is still uncomfortable.
- 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 frequently.) If you don’t know how to clean and disinfect hearing aids, talk to us for a quick tutorial.
- Practice good ear hygiene: It’s important to keep your ears clean and dry and regularly clean your outer ear. 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. You’re attempting to accomplish the exact opposite.
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: If the pain is prolonged or severe, it’s okay to take a break from wearing your hearing aid until your ears feel better. 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 navigate your world more easily and have better communication with your family and friends. That makes it really 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 recover from your illness more quickly and more comfortably. That means you can get back to enjoying what you hear faster.
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. If you have questions about how ear infections might impact your hearing aid use, give us a call today.
