Surprisingly, around 20% of all ear infections happen to adults. Most people think of ear infections as a childhood sickness, something that affects mainly young kids. And it’s true that ear infections are more common in kids, but they also happen frequently in adults.
Ear infections can be particularly unpleasant for individuals who have hearing loss because they can interact with their hearing aids. Hearing aids can also shelter germs that could result in an ear infection if they are not properly cleaned and maintained.
So, you might be wondering: Can I wear hearing aids while I have an ear infection? In general, the answer is yes, but you may not want to. Ear infections can cause considerable swelling and discomfort in the ear, and your hearing aids might worsen those symptoms. 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. In some circumstances, the inner ear becomes infected after an earlier illness (for instance, a sinus infection or a cold). In other cases, fluid buildup may lead to an infection. And it’s also definitely possible for viruses and bacteria to infect the inner ear via simple transmission.
This can occur with some frequency to individuals who use hearing aids. The virus or bacteria hitches a ride on your hearing device and, upon insertion, gains access to the inner ear. That’s why it is crucial for those with hearing impairments to properly maintain and clean their devices. Essentially, the hearing aid itself doesn’t cause the ear infection, the virus or bacteria does. But your device may play a role in 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 examine the most common ear infection symptoms. In general, ear infections will present with the following symptoms:
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Fluid draining from the ear
- Pain in the ear
- Swelling and inflammation
- In some cases, temporary hearing loss
- Ear pressure or a feeling of fullness
- Dizziness or vertigo
Not everyone will experience every symptom, of course. Typically, you will have obvious swelling of the inner ear and ear pain in the infected ear. These symptoms can have a negative interaction with hearing aids for people with hearing loss. 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.
Additionally, any in-the-canal hearing aid can prevent drainage. When fluids cannot 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 unpleasant.
This added moisture can also impair the function of your hearing aid. 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 annoy me when I have an ear infection… but what can I do? You can lower your risk of getting an ear infection and address any discomfort that an ear infection might cause by taking a few steps. Here are a few of those steps:
- 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 opposite of what you’re likely attempting to do.
- 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 occurs less frequently.) Ask us for assistance if you’re not certain how to correctly clean and disinfect your hearing aids.
- Talk to your healthcare provider: If you think that you have an ear infection, speak with your doctor as soon as possible. Treating a hearing aid as soon as possible will decrease the risk of it becoming severe or prolonged.
- 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.
- 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. During this time off, you can pursue other means of communicating with your loved ones (such as texting or writing messages on a piece of paper, and so on).
You most likely depend heavily on your hearing aid every day. They help you communicate with loved ones and move around the world more easily. Which means that these little devices can often be hard to give up, even for a short time. However, taking a break from your hearing aids while you have an ear infection can help you recover from your sickness more quickly and more comfortably. This will help you get back to feeling better sooner.
Ear infections are relatively common. 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 impacted by an ear infection.