When you think of shingles, you probably picture an itchy red rash. While a clustered rash is the most well-known symptom, shingles can also cause a surprising and less-known complication: hearing loss.
Let’s take a look at how shingles can harm your hearing and what you can do to prevent it.
How Can Shingles Harm Hearing?
There are two main ways shingles can harm your hearing, including:
- Ramsay Hunt syndrome. When shingles affect the facial nerve near one of your ears, it can cause facial paralysis and hearing loss in the affected ear. The two main symptoms of Ramsay Hunt syndrome are a painful red rash with blisters in or around the ear and facial weakness on the side of the affected ear.
- Labyrinthitis. Labyrinthitis is an inflammation in the inner ear. When left untreated, it can cause hearing and balance issues. In some cases, labyrinthitis can follow a shingles infection.
In addition to a red rash, facial weakness and hearing difficulties, patients with shingles-induced auditory damage may also have ear pain, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), difficulty closing one eye, vertigo, change in taste perception and dry mouth or eyes.
What Causes Shingles?
Shingles are caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes childhood chickenpox. Approximately 99% of U.S. adults over the age of 40 have had the virus. While that number seems high, many cases occurred before widespread chickenpox vaccinations were available.
When your chickenpox clears up, the virus doesn’t leave your body. While the virus doesn’t cause problems in the majority of people, approximately 10% of people who previously had chickenpox will develop shingles.
How Can I Prevent Shingles-Related Hearing Loss?
Vaccination is the best way to prevent shingles and its related symptoms. If you have kids, make sure to get them vaccinated against chickenpox. If you’ve already had chickenpox and are over 50, talk to your provider about getting the shingles vaccine to prevent the condition.
In most cases, if you’ve had a chickenpox infection, they will recommend the shingles vaccine. If you haven’t had chickenpox or the vaccine, they will likely recommend you get vaccinated against it. Contact your Silver Spring, MD pharmacist or general care provider for more specific recommendations and vaccine availability.
If you’ve noticed difficulty hearing or other auditory symptoms, contact Hearing Center Silver Spring today to schedule an appointment for a hearing test with one of our specialists.