It might be a surprise to many people that approximately 20% of all ear infections occur in adults. The common notion is that ear infections are something that normally impact kids. Ear infections are definitely more prevalent in children but adults do get them too.
Ear infections can be particularly uncomfortable for people with hearing loss because they can interfere with their hearing aids. Hearing aids can also harbor germs that could result in an ear infection if they are not correctly 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 might not want to. Hearing aids could aggravate the discomfort and swelling caused by an ear infection. However, there are some steps that those who use hearing aids can take to help prevent and manage ear infection symptoms.
Can an ear infection be caused by hearing aids?
You might be wondering if your hearing aid is the cause of your ear infection if you’re an adult with hearing impairment. The technical answer is no. But more nuance is required to understand the whole story.
The vast majority of all ear infections are a result of 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. Sometimes, a previous illness, such as a cold or sinus infection, will lead to an infection of the inner ear. An infection might be caused by fluid accumulation in other situations. It’s also entirely possible that a virus or bacteria directly infected the inner ear by physical transmission.
For people who use hearing aids, this can be a frequent occurrence. The virus or bacteria latches onto your hearing device and, when inserted, gains access to the inner ear. Correct 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 hearing aid does play a part in this transmission.
How ear infections interact with hearing aids
So, how do ear infections and hearing aids interact? To understand what to expect, it’s useful to look at the most prevalent symptoms of an ear infection. Generally speaking, ear infections will have the following symptoms:
- Ear pain
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Swelling and inflammation
- Ear pressure or a feeling of fullness
- In some instances, temporary hearing loss
- Fluid draining from the ear
Obviously, everyone will experience the symptoms in their own way. Usually, you will have obvious swelling of the inner ear and ear pain in the infected ear. These symptoms can have an adverse interaction with hearing aids for those with hearing loss. That’s because your hearing aid will likely (at least in part) reside within the ear canal. Your hearing aids may cause added discomfort as they aggravate the tender inflamed infected ear.
Also, with a hearing aid that goes mostly inside the ear canal, fluid drainage can be obstructed. When fluids can’t drain, your discomfort might become prolonged. This will also increase the pressure (and pain) you feel in your ears. When you are wearing your hearing aid, pressure can be even more uncomfortable.
The performance 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 an absolutely miserable time.
Solutions to wearing hearing aids with an ear infection
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 getting ear infections and to address the discomfort that an ear infection might cause. Those steps include the following:
- 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.
- Practice good ear hygiene: It’s important to keep your ears clean and dry and routinely clean your outer ear. However, you should never stick any object inside of your ear and that includes cotton swabs. With a cotton swabs, your chance of developing an ear infection increases because you could jam earwax and debris further up into your ear canal. This is the exact opposite of what you’re likely attempting to accomplish.
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: You can take a break from your hearing aids for a while if you have significant or persistent pain. During this time off, 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).
- Regularly clean your hearing aids: Making sure your devices are clean can help to ensure they aren’t transmitting bacteria and viruses to your ears (or, at least, that it happens less often.) Ask us for help if you’re not certain how to properly clean and disinfect your hearing aids.
- Talk to your healthcare provider: You should talk to your doctor sooner than later if you think you might be developing an ear infection. Treating a hearing aid as soon as possible will decrease the risk of it becoming severe or prolonged.
Hearing aids are most likely a crucial part of your everyday life. They help you navigate your world more easily and have better communication with your friends and family. That makes it really difficult to give up your hearing aid even for short periods. However, you will have a speedier recovery from your ear infection if you take a break from wearing them until you heal up. That means you can get back to enjoying what you hear faster.
Ear infections are relatively common. But you should still seek treatment if you detect symptoms. If you have questions about how ear infections may affect your hearing aid use, give us a call today.