Otitis: symptoms, causes, treatment

In simple terms, otitis is an inflammation in the ear. The disease can be acute or chronic, catarrhal or purulent. The degree of development and severity of the patient’s condition largely depends from immunity the person and the type of bacteria that has infected the ear. According to statistics, in every third case there is an acute form of the disease, and it has also been noted that the majority of patients with complaints of otitis media are children, and 80% of children have suffered from this disease at least once within a period of up to three years. Let's take a closer look at what this common disease is, where does it come from and how to treat it?

Causes of otitis media

All ENT diseases are accompanied by the appearance of mucus, and in unfavorable circumstances it can enter the Eustachian tube, interfering with the ventilation of the tympanic cavity. In response to this development, the drum cells begin to secrete a special inflammatory fluid. However, in addition to such blockage, pathogenic organisms also create a problem. The causes of otitis media are:

• infection entering the ear from other ENT organs results in a kind of complication of a viral infection;
• numerous diseases of the nasopharynx, nose and sinuses - this includes a deviated septum and adenoids, and rhinitis;
• various ear injuries;
• weak immunity and hypothermia.

Types of otitis

There are several types of otitis media: external and medial. In turn, otitis media is of four types: internal (aka labyrinthitis), chronic purulent, exudative, acute.

Otitis externa is an infectious inflammation of the ear, which can be diagnosed in individuals regardless of age and gender. Its development, as a rule, is facilitated by two components: infection with sharp objects (for example, if you scratch your ear with a knitting needle, hairpin, etc.), as well as the entry and prolonged presence of moisture in the ear canal. Swimmers and those who spend a lot of time in pools are often susceptible to this disease.

With otitis media, the middle ear becomes inflamed. Children often suffer from such inflammation, in whom it appears as a complication after a cold. Acute otitis media appears more often against the background of infectious diseases. Exudative otitis, also known as serous and sectoral, appears due to blockage of the auditory tube. The cause of its appearance is also often infectious diseases. A very serious disease is called labyrinthitis, i.e. Internal otitis, fortunately, occurs much less frequently than others. Appears against the background of serious infectious diseases, for example, tuberculosis or after an ear injury.

Symptoms of otitis media

Symptoms of otitis media are largely determined by the type of disease. Thus, with catarrhal otitis of the middle ear, shooting and throbbing pain is characteristic, which tends to intensify with chewing, sneezing, etc. The pain may spread to the head and jaw.  The temperature rises to 39°C, and the body feels weak. With exudative otitis media, a feeling of stuffiness and noise in the ears appears, the person begins to hear poorly, and when shaking the head, it may feel as if fluid is flowing in the ears. If the membrane is torn, then purulent discharge comes from the ear.

Purulent otitis is accompanied by severe pain, which only increases every day and becomes almost unbearable, noise and congestion appear in the ears, the temperature rises, sleep is disturbed, appetite decreases, and discharge from the ear may appear on the second or third day. With external otitis, the pain varies in intensity, the ear becomes blocked, itching may appear, sometimes severe, the skin swells and thickens, and the temperature rises. Internal otitis is characterized by a feeling of severe tinnitus, nausea and vomiting, the appearance of impaired balance when moving, and severe and frequent dizziness.

Temperature with otitis media

As can be seen from the symptoms, with almost any type of otitis there is an increase in temperature, which reaches 39°C. In general, a high body temperature shows a person that the immune system is fighting harmful microorganisms in his body, and the increase is due to a protective reaction to this. The temperature can remain high for several days and will subside only after the fight is over. On average, this takes from three to seven days. Do not try to bring down the fever with the help of medications and do not try to resist such symptoms at all, by doing so you will only delay recovery. Better ensure bed rest and rest. If the temperature does not drop for a long time, you will need the help of a qualified specialist who will prescribe the correct treatment.

Treatment of otitis media

Treatment of otitis media largely depends on the type of disease.

If otitis externa has been identified in an adult patient, then treatment will be based on the use of special ear drops. If a person’s immunity is strong, then such an effect will give good results and nothing else is needed except drops; otitis media will quickly pass, without the use of antibiotic injections and auxiliary pills. Prescribed drops can be either completely antibacterial or contain antibiotics with anti-inflammatory agents. The duration of treatment of external otitis using drops lasts about a week.

If the lesion occurs in the middle ear area, the same antibacterial drugs are used. However, here the treatment of an adult and a child’s illness is slightly different. By the way, in 90% of cases the treatment is successful, without the use of antibiotics, and only 10% of patients suffer from complications and have to use “heavy artillery”. If after the first days of treatment there is no relief and improvement, then you have to change the tactics to a more stringent one. Antibiotics that are prescribed for this disease have many side effects, so only a qualified doctor should prescribe it. 28,000 people die every year from otitis, or rather from its complications, this once again shows the importance of high-quality and timely treatment.

If therapeutic treatment does not give the desired effect, and large quantities of pus accumulate behind the eardrum, this leads to unbearable pain. The entire infection begins to enter the bloodstream and other organs become infected, and the body is poisoned. As soon as such symptoms make themselves known, the patient is urgently prescribed paracentesis. This is an operational effect that prevents serious complications of the disease.

Everything is organized under local anesthesia. Using a special needle, the surgeon cuts the eardrum in the thinnest place to avoid severe tissue injury. Pus begins to come out through the hole made. It’s interesting, but such a carefully executed incision heals much easier and faster than a rupture that occurs naturally. The scar in the first case is much smaller than in the second. After paracentesis, the very next day there is a serious improvement in the condition, and the recovery process begins to progress by leaps and bounds, especially for children.

The operation is mandatory in the following cases:

• when the facial nerve is damaged;
• if after three days of taking strong antibiotics there is no visible improvement, the pain does not disappear or subside;
• if there is brain damage (headaches) and nausea;
• inflammatory processes in the inner ear.

B differences from   other types of disease, in the case of  auditory labyrinthitis  Only complex treatment is possible, which is carried out only within a medical institution. simptomy-otita-u-premennyh

Complications of otitis media

The latter is easily explained as follows. The fact is that the ear and abdominal organs are connected through one nerve, so with otitis media, in particular for children, it can be expressed by symptoms such as constipation, vomiting and bloating. Such symptoms are similar to appendicitis and the patient is referred to a surgeon, but the diagnosis shows nothing and everything is written off as a simple disorder or poisoning. If this happens and treatment is aimed at normalizing the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, then the disease may develop into otoanthritis. The latter is characterized by the transfer of pus to the area behind the ear and provokes additional inflammation, after which the ears protrude and the temperature rises. Such a complication can appear both in the first days and after a month, which indicates the impossibility of predicting the exact development. If this goes unnoticed, then the next stage of complications is meningitis, so jokes with otitis media are bad and fraught with serious consequences.

Let's summarize. Otitis media can lead to:

• rupture of the eardrum and filling of the ear cavity with pus;
• cholesteatoma is the appearance in the ear canal of a tumor-like cyst-like formation that externally resembles a capsule with dead epithelium and keratin;
• to disorders in the gastrointestinal tract;
• persistent hearing impairment, up to absolute deafness;
• facial nerve paresis;
• meningitis and other intracranial complications.

If otitis media is not cured in its acute form, then there is a high probability of it becoming chronic, and this seriously spoils the lives of patients. Firstly, this form is very, very difficult to treat, and secondly, hearing is greatly impaired, and constant inflammation and suppuration occur in the ears. Often the advanced stage of otitis is no longer amenable to conservative treatment and there is no other way out than surgical intervention.

Traditional treatment of otitis media

Several effective methods for treating otitis using traditional medicine.

• In treatment, you can use a simple solution of brilliant green in alcohol. Soak a cotton swab in the mixture and gently roll it around the affected ear. At first, a feeling of warmth will appear, and after a few hours the ear may begin to itch - this is as it should be, because this is an indicator that the effect of the drug has begun. Usually, only four to five procedures are enough and the signs of otitis externa disappear. This treatment is applicable for both acute and chronic stages.
• And this recipe is especially suitable for those for whom antibiotics are strictly contraindicated, for example, expectant mothers. An alcohol solution of boric acid and dimexide should be mixed in equal proportions. Cotton pads are moistened in the resulting composition, lightly wrung out and immersed in the ear. It is strongly recommended to preheat the composition a little using a water bath. You need to sit with such ears for about an hour and repeat the entire process three times a day for seven days. If the condition does not improve, then you need to consult a doctor. 
• Pour five bay leaves with a glass of water and boil. Pour the finished broth into a thermos and leave for about two hours. The prepared composition should be dripped into the sore ear three times a day, three drops each, and the composition should be taken orally with a large spoon, also three times a day. Carefully! There are contraindications, consultation with a specialist is required.    
• Prepare a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide by dissolving 15 drops of the latter in 25 ml of clean distilled liquid. Lie comfortably on your side and drop five drops of the prepared substance into the sore ear. Lie down for a quarter of an hour, then turn your head in the other direction to allow the liquid to come out. Blot the remaining mixture in your ear with a cotton swab, just be careful.

Speaking about the use of traditional medicine in the treatment of otitis, it is worth mentioning what actions should never be taken. Incorrect treatment can only aggravate the problem and lead to serious complications. Remember, even the same remedy used in different ways gives radically opposite results.

So, when treating otitis media, never:

• Do not use warming wet compresses for purulent forms of the disease! Yes, with simple otitis this technique works and heat really suppresses pain and improves overall well-being, but this approach is strictly contraindicated for internal, medial and purulent types of otitis. If you have a fever, then such heat compresses are a priori contraindicated, just like any other hot procedures. Alcohol compresses can lead to disaster, provoking the opening of an abscess and the penetration of pus to the brain with complete loss of hearing. No heat compresses should be applied without a doctor's prescription.
• Do not pour alcohol into your ears! Alcohol solutions in the ears for otitis media, what could be better? Alcohol in large quantities in the ears is bad for several reasons. Warmth and humidity are very good... for the active reproduction of pathogenic microflora. Alcohol can burn delicate mucous membranes, so it is not suitable for treating otitis media with damage. With purulent otitis, instilling alcohol can generally have a sad effect on the course of the disease. 
• Never pour undiluted juices of aloe, onion and garlic into your ears. Despite the fact that this practice can be found in some recipes, it is still not worth doing and here’s why. This “nectar” is very concentrated, due to which it irritates the mucous membrane, and with such uncontrolled treatment it can lead to damage to the eardrum. Even if, against all odds, you decide to carry out such treatment, then be sure to first dissolve the pure juice in distilled water in equal proportions, but remember that you are taking all the risks upon yourself.

Even traditional medicine recipes can be indicated for one type of otitis and are strictly contraindicated, if not downright dangerous, for another. Only a doctor can determine the type of disease and its presence in general, so before treatment you need to conduct an examination. The fact is that not only otitis media, but also other tumors can hurt the ear and give similar symptoms.

Prevention of otitis

The main measure to prevent the disease can be called preventing thick mucus from entering the Eustachian tube, but this is not so simple. Very often, rhinitis is accompanied by the appearance of liquid discharge, and at the time of treatment its thickness increases and mucus stagnates in the nasopharynx. In order not to provoke the development of otitis media by such congestive phenomena, it is always necessary to carry out high-quality and timely treatment of ENT diseases, because even a simple runny nose can lead to otitis media.

As a preventative measure you should:

• use vasoconstrictor drops to reduce swelling of the mucous membrane;
• drink enough water;
• maintain normal room temperature, around 18-20°C;
• regularly carry out wet cleaning and ventilate rooms;
• Do not overdo it with blowing your nose, as this process causes blockage of the ear canals - also, while blowing your nose, be sure to pinch one nostril.

When the first symptoms appear, you need to consult a doctor in a timely manner, because treating the disease at an early stage is much simpler and helps to avoid serious complications.