Otorhinolaryngologist

It is “not accepted” to consult a doctor with a common cold. With a runny nose, cough, temperature, drops from advertising and grandmother’s recommendations are used. Doctors then get the fight against chronic diseases. Advanced forms of sinusitis, tonsillitis, tonsillitis – all these are the consequences of our self-treatment with sprays and tablets without a doctor’s prescription. All these troubles can be avoided if you visit an otolaryngologist in time.

What is this specialty

An otorhinolaryngologist is popularly known as an ENT or “ear, throat, nose.” This specialization received such a nickname thanks to the organs that it studies. Even doctors themselves often abbreviate a compound word to the familiar “otolaryngologist”. An ENT doctor studies the internal and external structure of the larynx, ears, and nose. It also deals with certain diseases of the entire head and neck. He uses medical and surgical treatment, develops and recommends methods of disease prevention.

Such a doctor treats both children and adults at the same time. However, if parents with children visit the doctor without delay, then the adults themselves often delay the visit to the ENT. Such delay often leads to the progression of even the simplest diseases into serious pathologies.

The throat, ears, nose are open access to the body for various bacteria, infections, fungi. Therefore, in medicine, these organs are considered a very problematic and weak part of the body. They are the first to be attacked by pathogens, and, unfortunately, they are rarely treated.

The field of activity of an otolaryngologist includes a number of problems. This is not only sinusitis, this includes thyroid disease, poor hearing or its complete loss, snoring and much more. Since these organs are covered with a mucous membrane, diseases and infections in them can “feel” comfortably, develop, and progress.

Some of them cause severe harm to general health, for example, prolonged sore throat strikes at the cardiovascular system, kidneys, and joints. Thus, without visiting an otolaryngologist on time, you may need the help of an entire army of doctors.

What exactly does it heal?

An ENT specialist specializes in treating problems with the respiratory tract, hearing, infections, and fungi. In addition, they turn to him for violations of the vestibular apparatus, when foreign objects get into the cavities of the ears or nasopharynx. Periodic visits to this doctor are mandatory for children and adolescents to monitor the development of these organs and systems.

Adults are also advised to undergo preventive examinations to prevent diseases. The broad specialization of a doctor includes several dozen problems that he diagnoses and treats.

Diseases of the paranasal sinuses and nose

This category includes diseases of the external parts of the nose. These include acute, chronic forms of diseases, injuries, congenital pathologies, tumors, and more.

The most common problems are:

• acute rhinitis – inflammation of the mucous membrane, can occur against the background of infectious diseases or injuries;
• chronic rhinitis – constantly recurring symptoms of acute rhinitis in various forms, can affect the bone walls;
• inflammation of the paranasal sinuses – this includes sinusitis, sinusitis, ethmoiditis, pansinusitis and others. Delaying the treatment of these diseases is especially dangerous.

Also, the doctor can perform operations for domestic damage to the outer and inner walls of the nose. A rare reason for visiting the ENT is tumors in the nose area. These are diseases that are very difficult to tolerate and practically cannot be cured today. As with any other oncological diseases, you need to consult a specialist if you have any suspicions or discomfort in this area.

Self-treatment of a runny nose is not recommended. Something as simple as nasal congestion can be a sign of a bigger problem than a cold.

It is even more dangerous to use drugs at your own discretion, as the situation often only gets worse. An ordinary runny nose can easily turn into a chronic form, and that one can become an inflammation of the maxillary sinuses.

Throat diseases

This includes diseases that affect the larynx, pharynx, trachea and bronchi. Often, diseases of the nasal region are combined with inflammation of this part of the body. In most cases, sore throats come from an infection in the nasal cavity. Protracted or improper treatment spreads diseases further along the respiratory tract. They turn to the ENT with such diseases of the throat:

• pharyngitis;
• tonsillitis;
• ARVI;
• ARI;
• laryngitis;
• swelling;
• inflammation and enlargement of the tonsils, etc.

Often, patients turn to an otolaryngologist to remove the tonsils, since they can spread the infection throughout the body. It is worth noting that the doctor does not always agree to this, since the tonsils perform an important protective function and it is not at all necessary to remove them. In general, a good ENT will do everything possible to avoid surgery. Throat diseases are best treated on time, as they lead to infection of other organs of the respiratory system.

Ear diseases

This category includes any diseases of the outer, middle and inner ear. It can be inflammation, infection, ingestion of a foreign object. It is extremely dangerous to ignore diseases of this nature and, moreover, to treat them on your own. Ears are important organs that are responsible for processing sounds and orientation in space. Constant noise or pain in the ears can indicate serious disorders in the vestibular apparatus, blood pressure, brain, fluid accumulation in the inner ear.

An otolaryngologist treats such ear diseases:

• otitis;
• labyrinthitis;
• fungal diseases;
• otosclerosis of the ears;
• Meniere’s disease (accumulation of fluid);
• deterioration or loss of hearing;
• vestibular disorders.

Diseases in this category can also become acute and chronic if left untreated. Improper treatment only exacerbates the picture of the disease. Unfortunately, some infectious and non-infectious diseases of the middle and inner ear can put pressure on the brain. In difficult and neglected situations, this leads to death. The accumulation of fluid can affect vision, smell, and orientation in space. Therefore, if you find problems with your ears, you should not try to solve them yourself, especially wait until everything “passes by itself”.

When to book an appointment

Children and adolescents need to visit an ENT at least once a year. With the help of such simple measures, it is possible to prevent the development of pathologies in time or detect a disease. Prevention also does not hurt adults, but in practice this happens very rarely. Therefore, it is worth studying some of the symptoms, noticing which you urgently need to go to the reception.

So, you need to visit an otorhinolaryngologist for causeless itching, ringing and noise in the ears, when formations (tumors, papillomas, etc.) are detected.

Any factor that interferes with normal hearing is already a reason for an appointment with an ENT.

Also, a signal of a possible problem is dizziness, sharp periodic pain in the head. If a child (or adult) gets a foreign object in the ear, do not try to get it yourself, this will only aggravate the situation. Reviews of doctors recommend calling an ambulance or immediately come for an examination.

Also, do not rely on your experience and knowledge in the treatment of acute respiratory viral infections, acute respiratory infections, influenza. Often people can even “diagnose” themselves based on symptoms, “prescribe” antibiotics and other medications. Such events often bring patients to the doctor’s office, but with a chronic form of the disease. For sore throats, nasal congestion, pain in the nasopharynx, a feeling of dryness in the throat, wet and dry cough, you need to contact a specialist.

The symptoms of the common cold are the body’s universal signals that something is wrong. Temperature and runny nose can talk about completely different diseases: poisoning, an allergic reaction, infection with an intestinal infection, and so on. Therefore, drops and tablets for colds will not help in any way, and the patient himself will lose precious time for proper treatment.

Also, the reasons for visiting a doctor can be considered: redness of the throat, swollen lymph nodes and tonsils, pain when swallowing, unreasonable changes in voice.

What happens at the doctor’s appointment

Like any doctor, the ENT first examines the patient and studies his medical history. He will also ask questions about hereditary diseases, the last visit to the doctor, the presence of concomitant diseases. If the patient turned to the otorhinolaryngologist in time, the initial examination may be sufficient. For example, in mild forms of acute respiratory viral infections or acute respiratory infections, a specialist can immediately prescribe a course of treatment. In more complex situations, you may need an x-ray and consultation with doctors of related specializations.

As a treatment, the doctor prescribes a spray, pills or injections with the desired effect. Some folk methods can also be recommended: heating with salt, baths, herbal infusions, etc. In this case, the entire course takes place at home. At the end of treatment, the patient needs to undergo an additional examination to make sure that the disease has completely receded.

Sometimes a patient needs surgery. For example, removal of tonsils or tonsils, sinus puncture, correction of septal deformity. The operation takes place right in the ENT room, modern technologies allow the use of a laser, ultrasound, radio frequencies, while pain is minimal. Such measures are prescribed for both adults and children, if it is really necessary.

After the operation, the patient is often transferred to the intensive care unit, where recovery will take place.

There is no need to be afraid of a visit to the doctor and postpone it. Most of all, patients are afraid of surgical intervention. The irony is that delaying treatment only increases the need for such measures. Therefore, it is better to undergo medical treatment on time as recommended by the doctor.

How to choose a good doctor

An experienced ENT can be both in a state clinic and in a private office. Government institutions have several advantages. Firstly, an appointment with such a doctor is free, should be in any case. You will only have to pay if the doctor performed an operation or other actions aimed at treatment. Secondly, most doctors in public hospitals boast considerable experience, there are very few young specialists here. In addition, such doctors definitely managed to earn patient reviews and a reputation, which is better to learn about before the appointment. Although, if you didn’t have time, you can ask about the quality of the doctor right in the queue.

Among the advantages of private clinics: beautiful design of the premises, more opportunities in terms of equipment, sometimes cooperation with other countries. The disadvantage of such establishments is familiar to everyone – the high cost. Here you will have to pay for the examination, even if everything is in order and nothing needs to be treated. There is a separate price list for each procedure, so the price for treatment by an ENT in a private clinic will depend on the complex of therapeutic measures. It is worth noting another plus in favor of “private traders” – the painlessness of operations and the accuracy of diagnosis.

A good doctor can be both in the first case and in the second. Therefore, when choosing, you should focus on your financial capabilities and expectations from the service. Ultimately, the main thing is to see a doctor and not aggravate the situation by postponing “for Monday”.