The inflammatory process of the ear is not such a rare disease. If a person develops otitis media, symptoms can be identified immediately - first of all, it is soreness inside or outside the auricle, congestion, purulent discharge, noise, headache, temperature. Otitis can develop against the background of untreated sore throat, laryngitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, when infection is introduced through non-sterile objects that have cleaned the ears. Also, inflammation of the ear can lead to swimming (and especially diving) in dirty reservoirs.
Types of otitis media
External otitis media is found in people of different age categories. Inflammation begins in the external auditory canal and can be caused by minor injuries (for example, when cleaning the ears with a sharp object), a fungal or bacterial infection, as well as a number of other reasons. When diagnosed with external otitis media, the symptoms are as follows: severe pain, sometimes swelling, itching, the external ear passage begins to moisturize, thereby forming non-healing crusts.
Otitis media is an inflammatory process of the middle ear, accompanied by severe pain. Unlike the external, the causes of otitis media can be completely different, up to tumor-like formations of internal organs. In such a situation, it is necessary to undergo a thorough examination to identify the causes of the disease.
Children often suffer from this disease - they provoke otitis media viral and bacterial infections. In some cases, diseases of the nasopharynx give complications to the auditory tubes, they become clogged, swelling appears there, their main function is the pressure equalization inside the hearing aid, so the patient feels constant congestion and pain in the ear. The second transmission route is meningogenic and traumatic. The third most rare is infection through the blood.
In turn, otitis media is divided into several types: acute and exudative. The first type is caused by various infections (both viral and bacterial in nature), affecting the throat, nose and respiratory tract. When diagnosed with acute otitis media, the following symptoms: pain, feeling of stuffiness in the ear, discomfort. Treatment can be prescribed only by a doctor and only after examination, because this disease can be triggered by various pathogens.
Viral otitis is treated with antiviral, anti-inflammatory drugs, bacterial only with antibiotics, if you do not start treatment, pus can break through the membrane and provoke purulent mastoiditis or, worse, otogenic meningitis (inflammation of the brain).
The second type is exudative (serous) otitis media. It occurs due to blockage of the auditory tube, thereby reducing the pressure in the eardrum, the cause may be a viral or bacterial infection. With a diagnosis of exudative otitis media, symptoms may initially disappear, and only after a certain time (week, month) does the fluid in the tympanic cavity thicken - this leads to the occurrence of hearing loss. In this case, the treatment is surgical.
Chronic suppurative otitis media is an infectious disease, there are two forms: complicated and uncomplicated. Purulent chronic otitis media, symptoms: purulent discharge from the ear itself, hearing impairment, tinnitus, nausea, dizziness. The uncomplicated form is paroxysmal if remission lasts for more than six months, a patient is offered myringoplasty. To avoid the progression of the disease, the patient must comply with hygiene rules:
- when bathing, cover the ears with cotton soaked in vegetable oil;
- protect yourself from acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections, consume more vitamin C to strengthen immunity, especially during colds.
With timely treatment, the prognosis is favorable. However, if pus builds up inside the ear, it threatens with hearing loss, as well as the possible development of other complications.
Treatment of chronic otitis media
With pronounced manifestations - pain, suppuration - antibiotics are used, antiseptic drugs are prescribed during the period of the remission of the disease (remission). Laser therapy gives a good result, but it has contraindications: ear polyps, intracranial diseases.