Surprisingly, about 20% of all ear infections afflict adults. Most people think of ear infections as a childhood sickness, something that affects mainly young kids. And it’s true that ear infections are more prevalent in children, but they also occur frequently in adults.
Ear infections can be especially unpleasant for individuals with hearing loss because they can interact with their hearing aids. Additionally, when hearing aids aren’t correctly maintained, they can become a vector for ear infection-causing diseases.
So, you may be wondering: Can I wear hearing aids while I have 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 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. The technical answer is no. But in order to get the full picture we need to look at it in greater detail.
The vast majority of all ear infections are due to viruses or bacteria that then infect the inner ear. There are a wide range of vectors that can result in infection. In some instances, the inner ear becomes infected after a previous illness (for instance, a sinus infection or a cold). In other situations, fluid accumulation might result in an infection. It’s also completely possible that a virus or bacteria directly infected the inner ear by physical transmission.
For people who wear hearing aids, this can be a regular occurrence. Your hearing aid collects this bacteria or virus and then gets inserted directly into your ear. That’s why it is critical for those who have hearing impairments to properly maintain and clean their devices. In other words, the hearing aid itself doesn’t 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, how do ear infections and hearing aids interact? The best way to anticipate what to expect is to look at the most prevalent ear infection symptoms. Here are some of the most prevalent symptoms of ear infections:
- Ear pressure or a feeling of fullness
- Swelling and inflammation
- Vertigo or dizziness
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Pain in the ear
- Fluid draining from the ear
- In some instances, temporary hearing loss
Needless to say, everyone will experience the symptoms in their own way. Typically, you will have noticeable inflammation 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 in part) sit within the ear canal. Because the ear canal is inflamed and tender, your hearing aids could cause extra discomfort.
Also, with a hearing aid that sits primarily 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. When you are wearing your hearing aid, pressure can be even more unpleasant.
This increased moisture can also impair the operation of your hearing aid. 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 an absolutely 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? There are several steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing ear infections and to manage the discomfort that an ear infection may cause. Here are a few of those steps:
- 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: You can take a break from your hearing aids for a few days if you have severe or lasting pain. During this time off, you can adopt 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: If you think 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.
- 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 occurs less often.) Ask us for assistance if you’re not sure how to correctly clean and disinfect your hearing aids.
- Practice good ear hygiene: It’s important to keep your ears dry and clean and routinely clean your outer ear. 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 chance of developing an infection. You’re attempting to accomplish the exact opposite.
You probably depend heavily on your hearing aid every day. They help you communicate with loved ones and move about the world more easily. Which means that these little devices can often be difficult to give up, even for a short time. However, taking a break from your hearing aids while you have an ear infection can help you recuperate from your infection more quickly and more comfortably. This will help you get back to feeling better quicker.
It’s not unusual for people to get ear infections. But you should still get treatment if you detect symptoms. If you have questions about how ear infections might impact your hearing aid use, give us a call today.