Surprisingly, around 20% of all ear infections afflict adults. The common notion is that ear infections are something that normally affect children. And it’s true that ear infections are more prevalent in kids, but they also occur frequently in adults.
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. Additionally, when hearing aids aren’t properly maintained, they can become a vector for ear infection-causing diseases.
So, you may be wondering: Can I use 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 swelling caused by an ear infection. But individuals who use hearing aids can take a few steps to manage and possibly prevent ear infections.
Can an ear infection be caused by hearing aids?
If you’re an adult with hearing impairment and you begin to notice the symptoms of an ear infection, you might begin to wonder: did my hearing aids cause this ear infection? The technical answer is no. But more detail is needed to understand the complete story.
Almost all ear infections are caused by bacteria or a virus that gets into the ear. There are a wide variety of vectors that can lead to infection. In some instances, the inner ear becomes infected after a previous illness (for example, a sinus infection or a cold). In other situations, fluid accumulation may result in an infection. And it’s also certainly possible for viruses and bacteria to infect the inner ear through simple transmission.
This can happen with some frequency to individuals who use hearing aids. The virus or bacteria hitches a ride on your hearing aid and, when inserted, gets access to the inner ear. Proper hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is essential for this reason. So the virus or bacteria is actually the cause of the infection, not the hearing aid itself. But your device may play a role in transmission.
Contact 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 examine the most prevalent ear infection symptoms. In general, ear infections will present with the following symptoms:
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Drainage of fluid from the ear
- Vertigo or dizziness
- In some cases, temporary hearing loss
- Ear pain
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
- Swelling and inflammation
Not everyone will suffer from every symptom, of course. In the majority of circumstances, your infected ear will be painful and there will likely be noticeable inflammation around the inner ear. These symptoms can have a negative interaction with hearing aids for those with hearing loss. That’s because your hearing aid will likely (at least partially) reside within the ear canal. Because the ear canal is irritated and tender, your hearing aids might cause extra discomfort.
Additionally, any in-the-canal hearing aid can prevent drainage. When fluids cannot drain, your discomfort might become prolonged. 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 uncomfortable.
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.
Ear infection & hearing aid strategies
So what can you do if your hearing aids are annoying you while you have an ear infection? There are several 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:
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: You can take a break from your hearing aids for a while 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 hearing specialist: Consider coming in to have your hearing aid re-fit if your ear infection clears but your hearing aid is still not comfortable.
- 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 decrease the chance of it becoming severe or prolonged.
- Regularly clean your hearing aids: Keeping your device clean can reduce the risk of transmitting bacteria or viruses to your ears. Ask us for help if you’re not certain how to correctly clean and disinfect your hearing aids.
- Practice good ear hygiene: This means routinely cleaning your outer ear and, generally, keeping your ears dry and clean. However, you should never stick any object inside of 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. This is the exact opposite of what you’re likely attempting to accomplish.
You probably depend heavily on your hearing aid every day. They help you communicate with family and friends and move about the world more easily. That makes it really hard to give up your hearing aid even for short periods. However, you will have a faster 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.
It’s not uncommon for individuals to get ear infections. But you should still get treatment if you notice symptoms. If you have questions about how ear infections might affect your hearing aid use, give us a call today.