Can frequent bacterial/viral ear infection somehow lead to loss of hearing?
Moe asked:
I get ear, nose and throat infections once every 3 months. Is this something that could lead to something serious in the long run and could this lead to hearing loss?
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on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Other - Diseases.
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I get ear, nose and throat infections once every 3 months. Is this something that could lead to something serious in the long run and could this lead to hearing loss?
June 27th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
yes it could. you should see and ear, nose and throat doctor.
June 30th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Infection can certainly damage the ear drum or tiny hairs that help transmit sound in the ear. Another cause could be the anibiotics used to treat the infection. I know a person who went deaf after hospital accidently gave them an antibiotic they were allergic too.
This information…
“Drug induced - some medications can result in damage to the auditory system with prolonged use. They are called ototoxic. Here are a few drugs that are known to cause hearing loss: aminoglycoside antibiotics (such as streptomycin, neomycin, kanamycin); salicylates in large quantities (aspirin), loop diuretics (lasix, ethacrynic acid); and drugs used in chemotherapy regimens (cisplatin, carboplatin, nitrogen mustard).”
… comes from this link about types of hear loss causes.
July 3rd, 2009 at 5:17 am
Yes, it could - either by constant inflammation producing fluid in the middle ear (otitis media) or by infections doing damage to either the ear drum (possibly perforating it) or damaging the tiny hairs in the inner ear that transmit the sound to the nerves. If you’re getting recurring infections, it already is serious in the long run. You should see a doctor about getting appropriate treatment - you may have a drug-resistant infection that will need stronger antibiotics than usual.
July 6th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
As they said, the answer is yes , frequent ear infections can lead to hearing problems in the future. It can lead to conductive hearing loss. This is when hearing loss can be caused by an infection, a clogging of the Eustachian tube via excess fluid or infected earwax or a foreign object. The good news is, it can be medically corrected. If you are worried, I suggest you see an audiologist to check your ears and test your hearing to see if any hearing loss has occurred. Then they will suggest if you have a problem what type of medical action should be taken.
July 9th, 2009 at 2:30 am
Not necessarily. Some possibilities causing hearing loss are:
* Heredity
* Diseases such as ear infections and meningitis
* Trauma
* Certain medicines
* Long-term exposure to loud noise
* Aging