It might be a surprise to many people that roughly 20% of all ear infections occur in adults. Most individuals think of ear infections as a childhood illness, something that impacts primarily young kids. 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. Also, when hearing aids aren’t correctly maintained, they can become a vector for ear infection-causing diseases.
So, you might 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. Ear infections can cause substantial 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 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 full picture we need to view 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 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 example, a sinus infection or a cold). An infection may be caused by fluid buildup in other situations. It’s also entirely feasible that a virus or bacteria directly infected the inner ear by physical transmission.
For individuals who use hearing aids, this can be a frequent occurrence. The virus or bacteria hitches a ride on your hearing aid and, upon insertion, gains access to the inner ear. Proper hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is essential for this reason. Essentially, the hearing aid itself does not cause the ear infection, the virus or bacteria does. But your device could play a role in transmission.
Contact between hearing aids and ear infections
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:
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
- Tinnitus (a ringing in the ears)
- Inflammation and swelling
- Pain in the ear
- Discharge of fluid from the ear
- Dizziness or vertigo
- In some cases, temporary hearing loss
Not everyone will experience every symptom, of course. In the majority of circumstances, your infected ear will hurt and there will likely be obvious inflammation around the inner ear. For those with hearing loss, these symptoms can interact unfavorably with your hearing aids. That’s because your hearing aid will likely (at least partially) sit within the ear canal. Because the ear canal is inflamed and tender, your hearing aids might cause extra discomfort.
Additionally, any in-the-canal hearing aid can prevent drainage. Your infection and discomfort may last longer if fluid is trapped in your ear. This will also increase the pressure (and pain) you feel in your ears. This pressure can be even more marked when you’re wearing your hearing aid.
The functionality of your hearing aid can also be impacted by the extra moisture. So your ears are in more pain and your hearing aid isn’t really working as well as it should. Which means that wearing hearing aids when you have an ear infection can be a downright miserable time.
Solutions to wearing hearing aids with an ear infection
You might now be thinking: my hearing aids annoy me when I have an ear infection… but what can I do? You can reduce your risk of developing an ear infection and address any discomfort that an ear infection may cause by taking a few steps. Those steps include the following:
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: You can take a break from your hearing aids for a while if you have severe or persistent pain. You can use alternative methods of communication with friends and family, like texting, in the meantime.
- Talk to your hearing specialist: Consider coming in to have your hearing aid re-fit if your ear infection goes away but your hearing aid is still not comfortable.
- 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.) 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 clean and dry and regularly clean your outer ear. Don’t try to stick any object in your ear, however, including 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. You’re attempting to accomplish the exact opposite.
- Talk to your healthcare provider: You should talk to your doctor sooner than later if you suspect you may be developing an ear infection. The sooner you treat the ear infection, the less severe or prolonged your symptoms will be.
Hearing aids are likely an essential part of your daily life. They help you get around your world more easily and have better communication with your friends and family. That makes it very difficult to give up your hearing aid even for short periods. However, you will have a quicker 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 sooner.
It’s not unusual 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.