Studies show that there are more than 3 million cases of seasonal allergies in the United States every year. It happens so often that you are probably familiar with the symptoms of itchy eyes, sneezing, watery eyes, and coughing, among others. But despite the fact that allergies are technically considered general knowledge, you may not know that it can also affect your hearing.

Our ears are made up of three parts, namely the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. Seasonal allergies can have an effect on one to all three parts of the ear and it can sometimes lead to temporary hearing loss.

How To Know If My Allergies Are Affecting My Ears?

People who have experienced allergic reactions affecting their ears would normally feel a chronic itching in the outer ear canal, frequent infections in the middle and outer ear, dizziness or loss of balance, pressure or a clogging feeling in the ears, swelling, and tinnitus, or hearing sounds in your head that no one else can hear.

How Are Allergies and My Ears Related?

To understand the relationship between allergies and hearing loss, you must first understand how allergic reactions work.

Allergens such as pollen and dust provoke your immune system to make it produce antibodies, which in turn produces histamine. Histamine is responsible for the involuntary response of sneezing, itching, and the like. That response then influences your body to produce more mucous, which would finally lead to conductive hearing loss and/or a temporary blockage in the ear.

Allergic reactions can affect the three parts of your ear in different ways, but the middle ear is usually the primary victim.

If the eustachian tube, functioning as the middle ear’s drainage tube or pressure release valve, swells up or is clogged with mucus, fluid will build up. Aside from earaches and occasional loss of balance, this will give the feeling of fullness and will make it difficult to hear sounds. The fluid trapped in the middle ear is also a breeding ground for bacteria, and will usually result in an infection.

People suffering from Meniere’s disease or other inner ear disorders will experience a hearing fluctuation or impairment when exposed to allergens and for the outer ear, skin allergies can result in itching or swelling of the outer ear and the ear canal, which may also lead to an infection.

What Can I Do About It?

In dire situations, medical solutions that alleviate the allergic reaction will also lift the impairment on your hearing though most of the time, hearing loss caused by allergic reactions are temporary. Hearing will return to normal once the symptoms subside.

If the symptoms persist, contact your local hearing health professionals right away. Hearing specialists such as Beltone are well-equipped to assist you with your hearing ailments.

Beltone DFW Can Help

The hearing experts at Beltone DFW can identify the causes, and the solutions, to your personal hearing loss situation. We will begin with a free hearing exam, and through the latest testing methods and technology, we will be able to then begin looking at the best options for your child. After all, your kids deserve a future where they can communicate properly.

Beltone DFW provides the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with hearing specialists that can help you through the process. And if necessary they are experts at finding the right devices for you. Give us a call today at (888) 958-8432 or schedule an appointment online to begin exploring your options.