It might be a surprise to many people that approximately 20% of all ear infections occur in adults. The common idea is that ear infections are something that usually affect children. Ear infections are definitely more prevalent in kids but adults do get them too.
Ear infections can be particularly uncomfortable for individuals who have hearing loss because they can interact with their hearing aids. Hearing aids can also harbor germs that could lead to an ear infection if they aren’t properly cleaned and maintained.
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 considerable swelling and discomfort in the ear, and your hearing aids may worsen those symptoms. But people who use hearing aids can take a few steps to manage and possibly prevent ear infections.
Do hearing aids cause ear infections?
If you’re an adult with hearing impairment and you start to notice the symptoms of an ear infection, you may begin to wonder: did my hearing aids cause this ear infection? The technical answer is no. But in order to get the full picture we need to look at it in greater detail.
Nearly all ear infections are caused by bacteria or a virus that gets into the ear. There are a wide range of vectors that can lead to infection. In some instances, the inner ear becomes infected after an earlier illness (for example, a sinus infection or a cold). An infection might be caused by fluid accumulation in other instances. And it’s also definitely possible for viruses and bacteria to infect the inner ear through simple transmission.
For individuals who use hearing aids, this can be a regular occurrence. Your hearing aid accumulates this bacteria or virus and then gets inserted directly into your ear. Proper hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is crucial for this reason. So the virus or bacteria is really the cause of the infection, not the hearing aid itself. But your device may play a role in transmission.
Interactions between hearing aids and ear infections
So, how do ear infections and hearing aids interact? To know what to expect, it’s helpful to look at the most common symptoms of an ear infection. In general, ear infections will have the following symptoms:
- Inflammation and swelling
- In some cases, temporary hearing loss
- Fluid draining from the ear
- Pain in the ear
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Tinnitus (a ringing in the ears)
- Ear pressure or a feeling of fullness
Not everybody will suffer from every symptom, of course. Typically, you will have noticeable inflammation of the inner ear and ear pain in the infected ear. For those with hearing loss, these symptoms can interact unfavorably with your hearing aids. That’s because your hearing aid will most likely (at least partially) sit within the ear canal. Your hearing aids could cause added soreness as they irritate the tender inflamed infected ear.
Also, with a hearing aid that goes mostly inside the ear canal, fluid drainage can be blocked. When fluids cannot drain, your discomfort might become prolonged. The pain and pressure in your ears will be increased because of this. 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 horrible time wearing your hearing aid while you have an ear infection.
Strategies 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 lower your risk of getting ear infections and to manage the discomfort that an ear infection might cause. Here are a few of those steps:
- Practice good ear hygiene: It’s essential to keep your ears dry and clean and regularly clean your outer ear. 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 do.
- 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 are feeling better. You can use alternative methods of communication with family and friends, like texting, in the meantime.
- Talk to your healthcare provider: You should speak with your doctor sooner than later if you think you might be developing an ear infection. Treating a hearing aid as soon as possible will reduce the chance of it becoming severe or prolonged.
- Talk to your hearing specialist: If your ears begin to feel better, but the discomfort from your hearing aids doesn’t go away, consider talking to us to see if you can get a better fit on your devices.
- 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.) If you don’t know how to clean and sanitize hearing aids, talk to us for a quick tutorial.
You most likely depend heavily on your hearing aid every day. They help you communicate with family and friends and move around the world more easily. Which means that these little devices will usually be difficult to give up, even for a short time. However, you will have a faster 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.
Ear infections are relatively common. But you should still seek treatment if you detect symptoms. If you have questions about how ear infections might impact your hearing aid use, give us a call today.
