Understanding How Hearing and Allergies Are Connected
Sinus issues and allergies can make you miserable. Even with some medications, your sinus pain and congestion may be reduced, but the pain can still be there. When you are having sinus issues that over-the-counter medicine is simply not helping with, you usually decide to go to your doctor for help. What may surprise you is when they schedule a referral for an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor and hearing tests. This can be confusing when you are trying to understand the connection. Here are some of the ways your allergies and hearing are connected and what you need to know about treatment.
Muffled Hearing
One of the most common issues allergies can cause with your hearing is muffling. As your allergies worsen, you may start to notice your hearing is muffled in one or both ears. You may also notice swelling around your ears. Your hearing can start to become muffled early on due to your various allergies, but when the allergies subside your hearing can remain muffled. These are serious issues that can lead to hearing loss. Hearing tests will not only show if you have hearing issues but will also show their causes.
Hearing Blockages
When you have allergies, one of the side effects is increased mucus production. This is evident when you begin to sneeze, cough, or merely try to breathe. The increased mucus production doesn't just affect how you are breathing. It can also cause blockages throughout your sinus passages and into your ear canal. When this mucus is increased and begins filling your sinus passages, it will begin causing a pressure build-up. This pressure causes blockages from swelling in your ear canal. The swelling ultimately becomes a blockage that is painful and contributes to hearing loss.
Dizziness
An alarming issue you may start to encounter with your sinuses and hearing is dizziness. As the sinus blockage builds up, you can begin to feel pressure and sometimes a headache. The pressure can build so much that it begins to not only affect you in the form of headaches but also dizziness. The dizziness caused by the pressure building and affecting your middle ear can lead to severe vertigo reactions. A hearing test determines if you are having swelling that ultimately leads to dizziness. The hearing test can also show how far along the damages are and what kind of treatment plans are available.
Your doctors may find you have chronic allergies leading to hearing issues. These issues may be temporary. They may also be lifelong and cause detrimental hearing problems. If your allergies are affecting you at an increasing rate and over-the-counter medication is no longer working, contact your doctor. They will schedule an appointment to discuss ENT and hearing test options available to you.
Contact a local ENT doctor to learn more about hearing tests.
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