Contents
What is middle ear inflammation?
Inflammation of the middle ear – This is a disease of one or more parts of the ear cavity, which is caused by the ingestion of an infection. According to studies, young children most often suffer from the disease, but cases of the development of pathology occur in adults. At the first symptoms of otitis media, you should consult a specialist, because the negative consequences of late and improper treatment can occur in people of any age.
The middle ear is the part of the ear cavity that is located between the tympanic membrane and the cochlea (the part that recognizes and perceives sound vibrations). The main causative agents of the disease are a variety of bacteria and viruses that can easily enter the middle ear if a person has a cold.
The disease can develop and proceed in different ways, so there are three types of otitis media:
Acute. It can last less than a month, its main danger is that the disease can smoothly flow into the chronic stage. This is facilitated by the late start of treatment or the use of folk remedies without contacting a qualified doctor.
Protracted.
Chronic – its duration is at least 3 months. If otitis media occurs against the background of any infectious disease, there is a high risk of complete destruction (rupture) of the eardrum and hearing loss. Chronic otitis is characterized by characteristic symptoms – hearing loss, the patient complains of periodic or constant flow of pus from the diseased ear.
Approximately 25-60% of adults at least once had otitis media of varying severity. It is not recommended to self-medicate if symptoms of the disease are detected, so serious complications can be avoided. Most modern medicines that a doctor prescribes for an illness are very effective if treatment is started immediately.
Symptoms of inflammation of the middle ear
The main symptom of otitis is pain – according to the sensations of a person, it can be weak or strong, shooting. The patient himself cannot determine which part of the ear is inflamed, only a doctor can state inflammation of the middle ear. Of the non-permanent symptoms, a slight hearing loss occurs, while the body temperature may be increased. The flow of pus from the ear canal can be observed if a hole has formed in the eardrum. If this did not happen, the patient will not complain about discharge from the ear.
Often there is a decrease in the perception of sounds, the patient may feel his own voice in his ears (autophony). Solely on the basis of this symptom, it is still impossible to make a diagnosis of “otitis media”, because a similar phenomenon can be observed in the case of changes in atmospheric pressure.
The main symptoms by which otitis media can be diagnosed are:
Pain in and around the ear.
Headache and dizziness. Rarely – vomiting.
Hearing problems.
Fever, body temperature is elevated.
A foreign object is felt in the ear or a noise is felt.
Causes of inflammation of the middle ear
Inflammation can most often occur after infection has penetrated there from neighboring parts of the ear cavity, so otitis media at the level of the middle ear is called a secondary infection. The occurrence of the disease can contribute to many factors that weaken the body’s defenses.
Here are the main ones:
Body cooling. A decrease in temperature contributes to a sharp narrowing of blood vessels in the body. Under such conditions, bacteria begin to develop intensively, the result of which is an inflammatory process.
Unbalanced diet. Too few fruits and vegetables in the diet reduces a person’s immunity, so the risk of infection is high.
Infections of the nasal cavity, nasopharynx, etc. They may not be completely cured and become active at the right time, against this background, the infection can spread all the way to the middle ear.
Some diseases can cause the transition of otitis media into an acute form, which is very dangerous to health. These include eustachitis – in the case of this disease, the inflammatory process takes place in the tube that connects the nasopharynx and the tympanic cavity. Bacteria that provoke the development of eustachitis can first cause laryngitis, tonsillitis, and other diseases. In the case of rhinitis or inflammation of the nasal cavity, the infection also opens the entrance to the auditory tube.
Another disease – mastoiditis, is often not only the cause of inflammation, but also a complication of otitis media. Bacteria in the presence of concomitant chronic diseases can easily penetrate the mastoid process that communicates with the middle ear, thereby causing otitis.
In an adult, the risk of otitis media increases several times if:
Violations of the integrity of the tympanic membrane.
The presence of allergies.
A person’s immune system is weakened, the work of the endocrine system is disrupted.
Rapid hypothermia.
Various pathologies of the hearing organs, due to which natural ventilation of the auditory tube is impossible.
Inflammatory diseases of the ears, nasopharynx and throat.
Treatment of inflammation of the middle ear
You can do treatment at home, if you first consult with a specialist and purchase the necessary medications.
An experienced doctor provides treatment in several directions at once:
In order to reduce swelling of the nasopharyngeal mucosa and restore the functionality of the auditory tube. For this, nasal drops are used (Nafthyzin, Galazolin, etc.).
Reduce pain. A cotton swab moistened with medicine can be injected into the ear or solutions are instilled a few drops directly into the ear.
Lowering the temperature, for this, drugs based on paracetamol are used. In addition, the patient’s body must be strengthened with the help of vitamins, which should be started after consultation with an experienced specialist.
It is strictly forbidden to use heat and drops in the ear during treatment if pus is released from the ear cavity. In this case, all secretions must be removed in a timely manner, preventing blockage of the ear canal. Already at the recovery stage, thermal compresses and physiotherapy procedures (UHF, electrophoresis and ear warming) can be used.
In the case of inflammation of the middle ear, it is occasionally necessary to use antibiotic drugs, the dosage and selection of which is carried out by the doctor. Azithromycin, Amoxiclav, etc. are mainly used, which are taken orally or in some cases administered intramuscularly. Antibiotic treatment is carried out very carefully, because in some cases, prolonged use of various drugs makes the virus completely insensitive to the antibiotic used. Therefore, an experienced doctor will definitely make a sample of pathogenic microorganisms from a diseased ear and find out their sensitivity to a particular type of antibiotic.
The chosen strategy for the treatment of otitis in adults is selected depending on two factors:
How advanced the disease is.
What stage of development is it at?
At the initial stages of the disease, the use of vasoconstrictive nasal drops is indicated. To get rid of pain in the ear canal, you can use special drops. It is possible to avoid the opposite effect in the form of increased pain several times if all the drugs are slightly warmed up before being instilled into the sore ear. The use of warm bags or warm compresses of vodka or alcohol is allowed only if no pus is released. You should first talk to your doctor and find out the feasibility of such procedures. It is possible to improve the outflow of pus after piercing the eardrum if you regularly clean the ear canal from accumulated pus. It is better to entrust this procedure to an experienced ENT specialist, who, at the end of the removal of the contents of the ear, will put a cotton swab inside, which is moistened with an anti-inflammatory drug. It is contraindicated at this stage of the course of the disease to use alcohol-based ear drops.