Many viral and bacterial infections linked to hearing loss – Healthy Hearing
Contributed by Joy Victory, managing editor, Healthy HearingJune 14, 20222022-06-14T00:00:00-05:00
Numerous types of infections can inflame or damage the inner era, leading to hearing loss, tinnitus and balance problems.
In some cases, the problems might pop while you’re sick or soon after—for example, if you had COVID-19 or a recent bad cold—but in other cases, you may not even realize you had an infection, and sudden hea…….
Contributed by Joy Victory, managing editor, Healthy Hearing
June 14, 20222022-06-14T00:00:00-05:00
Numerous types of infections can inflame or damage the inner era, leading to hearing loss, tinnitus and balance problems.
In some cases, the problems might pop while you’re sick or soon after—for example, if you had COVID-19 or a recent bad cold—but in other cases, you may not even realize you had an infection, and sudden hearing problems are the first sign that’s anything wrong.
In rarer cases, problems can even occur decades after an infection, due to reactivation of a dormant virus. For example, varicella zoster, the virus that causes chickenpox, can reactivate and inflame the nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain. Named Ramsay Hunt syndrome, this painful condition made headlines in June 2022 after pop star Jason Bieber revealed he was experiencing it.
How infection can affect the ears
Any slight upset to the delicate inner ear can affect how we hear and our sense of balance, including viral and bacterial infections.
These germs can directly infect the ear, such as with otitis externa (swimmer’s ear), or they infect other parts of the body but lead to inflammation that also affects the ears.
Symptoms will vary depending on the infection, and may include fever, earache, itchiness, swelling, stuffy, clogged or muffled hearing, ringing in the ears, and dizziness. Infection-based hearing problems usually only affect one ear, which causes unique problems with hearing. Typically, these problems are temporary, but not always.
Here’s a look at several different types of infections and how they can affect hearing. (Note: This is by no means a comprehensive list of all infections known to damage hearing, just the more well-known ones.)
Respiratory illnesses including the common cold
By far the most common infection linked to hearing problems is the common cold. This is especially true in kids, who are at higher risk of middle ear infections (otitis media) after having a cold.
Numerous viruses cause the common cold, including adenoviruses, coronaviruses, enteroviruses and rhinoviruses. The body’s inflammatory response to the cold can cause fluid and mucus to build up behind the ear drum, leading to pain and muffled hearing. A secondary bacterial sinus infection can do the same. In most cases, hearing problems are temporary.
COVID-19
While not common, COVID-19 can indeed infect or inflame the ear, leading to hearing loss or tinnitus. It’s also thought that in rare cases vaccination can trigger tinnitus, though the research is still emerging in this area. See our articles for more on these two possible complications:
