Can ear infections cause hearing loss?
Hearing doctor Phoenix
Most children experience at least one ear infection during their early childhood years. Even adults may experience an ear infection from time to time. Because they’re so common, many people wonder about how ear infections might affect hearing. Can an ear infection cause hearing problems?
What is an ear infection?
What we generally refer to as an “ear infection” is an infection of the middle ear. This is the air-filled space between the eardrum and the cochlea (the organ of hearing). There are three very tiny bones in the middle ear, which transmit sounds from the eardrum to the cochlea.
The middle ear is connected to the nasopharynx (the space behind the nose, at the top of the throat) by a small tube called the eustachian tube. When a person has an upper respiratory infection (a cold), the inflammation may cause the eustachian tube to swell and close up. This can cause the buildup of fluid in the middle ear, and can allow bacteria to grow in that space.
Most ear infections do not damage hearing
In most cases, an infection of the middle ear will not cause lasting hearing problems. During the ear infection, the buildup of fluid in the middle ear may affect how the eardrum moves and how the tiny bones transmit sound. This can cause sounds to be muffled. However, when the ear infection resolves, there will usually not be lasting damage to the structures of the ear.
In most cases, ear infections will clear up on their own without treatment. This is why doctors often recommend waiting a few days to see if the symptoms resolve. When an ear infection doesn’t resolve on its own, antibiotics will usually take care of the issue, with no lasting damage to hearing.
Persistent or recurrent infections can damage hearing
Although most ear infections don’t cause any hearing damage, there are certain situations in which this can occur. If an ear infection goes untreated, then the pressure in the middle ear may build up. It may eventually damage the tiny, delicate bones that transmit sounds from the eardrum to the cochlea. This is why it’s important to seek medical attention for an ear infection, especially if it doesn’t clear up on its own within a few days.
Additionally, because hearing is impaired by the fluid in the middle ear, a child who has frequent ear infections may spend a significant amount of time being unable to hear well. This can affect language development, and it can be hard for children to catch up later. For this reason, children who have frequent ear infections, or who have a buildup of fluid in the middle ear that lasts for a long time, may benefit from ear tubes. These are placed during a surgical procedure, and help to drain fluid from the middle ear into the ear canal. They will usually fall out on their own after a year or so. (If the child still needs ear tubes after they fall out, then new ones can be placed.)
Hearing doctor Phoenix
If you suspect that your child currently has an ear infection, then you should visit your pediatrician.
If you’re concerned about your child’s hearing, then you may want to visit an audiologist for a complete hearing evaluation. If your child does have hearing loss, our highly qualified audiologists can help to get your child the treatment that he or she needs, which might involve hearing aids or cochlear implants. If your child currently has an ear infection, then you should wait until this has resolved before visiting our office, so that we can accurately measure your child’s hearing. To schedule your appointment, you can call us at 480-456-0176 or use the form at the bottom of this page to get in touch with us.
