Earwax Dangers Increase with Aging

Health Wellness

Everyone knows about earwax but few understand what it is, why we have it and would good it does.

When you look at the ear, you see the ear canal that leads into where the eardrum is located.

The skin that lines the ear canal has two types of glands – sebaceous and ceruminous (a specialized sweat gland). They both secrete a substance that combines to form what we call earwax, which is not wax. It’s really a substance known as cerumen, but to the vast majority of people, it’s just earwax.

Earwax has an important function and that’s keeping the ear healthy and protecting the eardrum. The cerumen collects dirt, dust or anything that enters the ear. It moves those items out of the ear, away from the eardrum. The earwax also helps to waterproof the skin in the ear canal, along with protecting the ear canal and eardrum from harmful bacteria and fungi.

When working properly, earwax is a very good thing, as without it, the chances of losing our hearing would be great.

But what happens when the ear produces too much earwax?

It still collects dirt, dust and whatever might enter the ear, but it doesn’t always carry it out of the ear. Instead, an excess can build up on the eardrum. This buildup can impair one’s hearing, as I can testify to. It can also cause ringing in the ear and vertigo.

Did you know that whether or not you have wet or dry earwax depends largely on your ethnic background?

People with strong African and/or European heritage tend to have wetter earwax. People with strong Asian and American Indian heritages tend to have drier earwax.

Another contributing factor in the production of too much earwax is allergies. When my allergies flair up or when I get sinus issues, it feels like my ears are oozing. I have no alternative but to carefully remove as much earwax as possible. However, last year, it built up so much that it plugged my left ear and I ended up at an ENT, who took a tiny vacuum and quickly removed the plug and my hearing was restored.

The problem of too much earwax plagues about 10% of children, 20% of adults and over 30% of use seniors and those who are developmentally disabled.

According to Jackie Clark, a board-certified audiologist and president of the American Academy of Audiology:

“The excessive amount [of earwax] can cause hearing loss or ringing in your ears. Some people experience vertigo, which increases the risk of falling. Right now, we see some correlation between hearing loss and cognitive decline.”

In other words, when seniors lose their hearing, it tends to affect the mental (cognitive) functions as well.

As you can see, the danger of too much earwax can impact our health and lives more than you realize, and sadly, it’s something that many nursing homes rarely check.

According to Kaiser Health News:

“Up to two-thirds of people in nursing homes may suffer from that condition, known as impaction, according to 2017 guidelines for removal of impacted earwax issued by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.”

“In 2016, federal Medicare recipients logged nearly 1.7 million earwax removal services at a cost of more than $51 million, according to payment records analyzed by Kaiser Health News.”

“‘In elderly patients, it’s fairly common,’ said Dr. Seth Schwartz, a Seattle otolaryngologist who led the most recent update of the guidelines. “It seems like such a basic thing, but it’s one of the most common reasons people present for hearing-related problems’.”

Folks, don’t take earwax lightly as many of us so often do. If necessary, make regular visits to an ear specialist so they can check and if necessary, remove any excess earwax. Unfortunately, few ENTs make house calls to nursing homes, so if you have a loved one or friend in a nursing home, see what you can do to have their ears checked on a regular basis.

aging Ear Health

Related Posts