{"id":10350,"date":"2023-07-14T14:51:19","date_gmt":"2023-07-14T18:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/?p=10350"},"modified":"2023-07-14T14:51:20","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T18:51:20","slug":"can-ear-infections-cause-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/can-ear-infections-cause-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Ear Infections Cause Hearing Loss?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The most commonly associated symptom with ear infections is ear pain. However, ear infections can also cause muffled hearing or <a href=\"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/hearing-clinic\/hearing-loss\/\">hearing loss<\/a>. This hearing loss is usually temporary in nature and returns to normal once the infection clears up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some people who experience severe, chronic ear infections may be at a higher risk of permanent hearing loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is an Ear Infection? <\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" src=\"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/pexels-karolina-grabowska-5206946-1280x853.jpg\" alt=\"Doctor examining a man's ear.\" class=\"wp-image-10353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/pexels-karolina-grabowska-5206946-1280x853.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/pexels-karolina-grabowska-5206946-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/pexels-karolina-grabowska-5206946-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/pexels-karolina-grabowska-5206946-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>While there are different types of ear infections, the most common kind of ear infection is a middle ear infection, otherwise referred to as otitis media. They are caused by a virus or bacteria that gets trapped in the fluid of the middle ear, leading to inflammation and infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyone can develop a middle ear infection, though they are most common in young children due to the fact that their Eustachian tubes are smaller and not fully developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Symptoms include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Ear pain<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fluid drainage from the ear<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fullness or pressure in the ear<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Muffled hearing or temporary hearing loss<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Children with an ear infection may be more likely to have a fever and seem more lethargic or fussier than usual or pull at their affected ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Ear Infections Cause Temporary Hearing Loss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Essentially, the blockage in the middle ear prevents sound from traveling as well and can lead some people to experience a temporary loss of hearing. Once the ear infection starts to clear up, either on its own or with the help of antibiotics, the hearing should return to normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can Permanent Hearing Loss Occur?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While most hearing loss from ear infections is temporary, people who are prone to repeated or chronic ear infections may experience damage to the middle eardrum or other parts of the middle ear, which can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC9419542\/#:~:text=This%20is%20common%20with%20middle,the%20middle%20ear%20are%20damaged.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lead to permanent hearing loss.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you or your child has an ear infection that will not go away or frequently comes back, it\u2019s important to visit a medical professional to see if stronger antibiotics or other treatments like ear tubes may be necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scheduling a Hearing Test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you experienced frequent ear infections when you were younger that have you concerned for your hearing health or have noticed that sounds are muffled when you talk to coworkers or are out with friends at Porch Kitchen &amp; Bar, schedule an appointment for a hearing test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hearing tests are quick and non-invasive and can let your audiologist know if you have any hearing loss and to what degree. If your hearing loss is permanent, they will likely recommend <a href=\"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/hearing-clinic\/choosing-a-hearing-aid\/\">hearing aids<\/a> and work with you to find the pair that best meets your needs as well as your style and comfort preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information or to schedule an appointment, call <span class=\"company-name \">Heuser Hearing Institute<\/span> today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/how-to-safeguard-your-hearing-aids-while-embracing-an-active-lifestyle\/\" class=\"related-post\">How To Safeguard Your Hearing Aids While Embracing an Active Lifestyle<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/why-does-my-earwax-build-up-and-can-it-affect-my-hearing\/\" class=\"related-post\">Why Does My Earwax Build Up (And Can It Affect My Hearing?)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/what-is-congenital-hearing-loss\/\" class=\"related-post\">What Is Congenital Hearing Loss?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The most commonly associated symptom with ear infections is ear pain. However, ear infections can also cause muffled hearing or hearing loss. This hearing loss is usually temporary in nature and returns to normal once the infection clears up. Some people who experience severe, chronic ear infections may be at a higher risk of permanent&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10350"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10350"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10355,"href":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10350\/revisions\/10355"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}