Hearing is vital for everyone, but when it comes to hearing loss, we often imagine older people struggling to make out what others say. As surprising as it sounds, people of all ages struggle with some form of temporary or permanent hearing issues, including over 60 million Americans starting as young as 12 years old. Worse, hearing loss is on the rise in the US, and globally, as many as 70 million people are deaf.
There are several ways your ears can suffer damage, including infections in one of the three major areas (the outer, middle, or inner ear). As bad as some infections can get, is it likely to lead to hearing loss? Let’s explore this by looking at the types of infections you may get in your ears, the causes and signs, and see what links there are to hearing loss.
Residents of the Lake Oswego, Oregon, area looking for treatments for hearing issues or ear infections can find help with the dedicated medical team at Lake Grove ENT.
Regardless of where in your ear you’re experiencing problems, the root cause of most infections is either a virus, bacteria, or fungus, which can lead to acute or chronic (short-term or long-lasting) problems. You can struggle with these because of upper respiratory infections like colds, flu, strep throat, tonsillitis, laryngitis, and sinusitis.
Other factors that lead to these problems include seasonal allergies, a family history of ear infections, having a cleft palate, and one of the many side effects of secondhand tobacco smoke.
Children deal with many of these infections more frequently and less severely than adults, but both deal with them in any of the three parts of the ear:
Some infections in your ear can cause the buildup of fluid, like in the signs of otitis media, and this can cause an acute or chronic problem with hearing loss. The eustachian tube is part of the middle ear, and infections can trap fluid inside it, which affects how well you hear. The fluid can build up even after the infection has resolved. Some types of infections happen more often in kids because their ears are still developing. In summary, blockages in your ear canal due to infection can cause hearing issues but are often temporary.
Ear infections can make hearing more difficult for a time, so if you’re struggling with this or other issues because of these ear problems make an appointment with the medical team at Lake Grove ENT today.
