Surprisingly, about 20% of all ear infections afflict adults. Most individuals think of ear infections as a childhood sickness, something that impacts mainly young kids. And it’s accurate that ear infections are more prevalent in kids, but they also occur frequently in adults.
Ear infections can be especially unpleasant for individuals who have hearing loss because they can interact with their hearing aids. Also, when hearing aids aren’t properly maintained, they can become a vector for ear infection-causing diseases.
So, you might be wondering: Can I use hearing aids while I have an ear infection? In general, the answer is yes, but you might not want to. 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 impairment. Technically, the answer is no. But in order to get the full picture we have 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 variety of vectors that can result in infection. In some instances, the inner ear becomes infected after an earlier illness (for instance, a sinus infection or a cold). In other cases, fluid accumulation might result in an infection. And it’s also definitely possible for viruses and bacteria to infect the inner ear via direct transmission.
This can happen with some frequency to people who use hearing aids. Your hearing aid accumulates this bacteria or virus and then gets inserted directly into your ear. Correct hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is essential for this reason. 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.
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. Here are a few of the most prevalent symptoms of ear infections:
- Drainage of fluid from the ear
- Ear pain
- Dizziness or vertigo
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
- Inflammation and swelling
- In some cases, temporary hearing loss
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Obviously, everybody will experience the symptoms in their own way. Typically, you will have obvious 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 the hearing aid goes inside the infected ear (at least some of it). Your hearing aids could cause added soreness as they irritate the tender inflamed infected ear.
Also, with a hearing aid that sits primarily inside the ear canal, fluid drainage can be blocked. When fluids cannot drain, your discomfort may become prolonged. 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 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. This means that you will have a terrible time wearing your hearing aid while you have an ear infection.
Ear infection & hearing aid strategies
You may now be thinking: my hearing aids bother me when I have an ear infection… but what can I do? There are a number of steps you can take to lower your risk of getting ear infections and to address the discomfort that an ear infection may cause. Those steps include the following:
- 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 chance of it becoming severe or prolonged.
- Regularly clean your hearing aids: Keeping your device clean can lessen the risk of transmitting bacteria or viruses to your ears. Ask us for assistance if you’re not sure how to correctly clean and disinfect your hearing aids.
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: If the pain is persistent or severe, it’s okay to take a break from wearing your hearing aid until your ears are feeling better. You can use alternative methods of communication with friends and family, like texting, in the meantime.
- 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. 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. This is the exact opposite of what you’re likely attempting to accomplish.
- Talk to your hearing specialist: Think about coming in to have your hearing aid re-fit if your ear infection clears but your hearing aid is still uncomfortable.
Hearing aids are likely an essential part of your everyday 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, taking a break from your hearing aids while you have an ear infection can help you recover from your infection more quickly and more comfortably. This will help you get back to feeling better quicker.
Ear infections are fairly common. But you should still get treatment if you detect symptoms. If you have questions about how ear infections might affect your hearing aid use, give us a call today.