It might be a surprise to many people that roughly 20% of all ear infections happen to adults. Most people think of ear infections as a childhood ailment, something that affects primarily young kids. And it’s true that ear infections are more common in children, 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 unpleasant ways. Also, when hearing aids are not properly maintained, they can become a vector for ear infection-causing diseases.
So is it a bad idea to use hearing aids with an ear infection? In general, the answer is yes, but you may not want to. Hearing aids could aggravate the discomfort and swelling caused by an ear infection. However, there are some steps that people who use hearing aids can take to help avoid 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. Technically, the answer is no. But more detail is needed to understand the whole story.
Nearly all ear infections are caused by bacteria or a virus that gets into the ear. There are quite a few paths that bacteria and viruses can take on their way to becoming an infection. Often, an earlier illness, such as a cold or sinus infection, will lead to an infection of the inner ear. 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 wear hearing aids, this can be a frequent occurrence. The virus or bacteria hitches a ride on your hearing aid and, upon insertion, gets access to the inner 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 hearing aid is involved in this transmission.
How ear infections interact with hearing aids
So what is the degree of interaction between hearing aids and ear infections? The best way to anticipate what to expect is to look at the most common ear infection symptoms. In general, ear infections will present with the following symptoms:
- Dizziness or vertigo
- In some situations, temporary hearing loss
- Discharge of fluid from the ear
- Swelling and inflammation
- Pain in the ear
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Ear pressure or a feeling of fullness
Not everyone will suffer from every symptom, of course. In most cases, your infected ear will hurt and there will most likely be noticeable swelling 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 in part) sit within the ear canal. Because the ear canal is inflamed and tender, your hearing aids may cause extra discomfort.
Additionally, any in-the-canal hearing aid can stop drainage. When fluids can’t 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.
This added 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. This means that you will have a terrible time wearing your hearing aid while you have an ear infection.
Strategies to wearing hearing aids with an ear infection
You may now be thinking: my hearing aids annoy me when I have an ear infection… but what can I do? There are several steps you can take to lower your risk of getting ear infections and to manage the discomfort that an ear infection might cause. Those steps include the following:
- Talk to your healthcare provider: You should talk to your doctor sooner than later if you suspect you may be developing an ear infection. Treating a hearing aid as soon as possible will decrease the risk of it becoming severe or prolonged.
- Talk to your hearing specialist: If your ears start to feel better, but the discomfort from your hearing aids doesn’t recede, consider talking to us to see if you can get a better fit on your devices.
- Practice good ear hygiene: It’s essential to keep your ears clean and dry and routinely clean your outer ear. Don’t try to stick anything in your ear, however, including cotton swabs. Using cotton swabs can push earwax and other debris further into your ear, increasing your risk of developing an infection. You’re attempting to accomplish the exact opposite.
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: If the pain is persistent or severe, it’s all right to take a break from wearing your hearing aid until your ears feel better. You can use alternative methods of communication with family and friends, like texting, in the meantime.
- 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 help if you’re not certain how to correctly clean and disinfect your hearing aids.
Hearing aids are likely a crucial part of your daily life. They help you communicate with loved ones and move about the world more easily. Which means that these little devices can often be hard to give up, even for a short time. 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 quicker.
It’s not uncommon for individuals to get ear infections. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek out treatment or try to prevent them. Contact us if you’re wondering how your hearing aid use will be affected by an ear infection.