Common ear DiseaseS
What is Otitis media?
What is Otitis media with
effusion (OME)?
Otitis media is inflammation of the
middle ear, or middle ear infection.
Symptoms
Acute otitis media
Otitis media includes acute otitis media and chronic
otitis media.
Symptoms
Common symptoms of chronic otitis media includes ear
purulent discharge, perforated ear-drum, deafness and
tinnitus. In serve cases, there may be cholesteatoma
and leading to intracranial complications.
OME usually affects hearing
acuity but it may not be
symptomatic. It will cause
some patients suffer from low
to medium level of hearing loss
Otitis media with
effusion
and cause speech developmental
delay in children. In some serve cases, it would
damage the structure of middle ear. If untreated, the
ear bone and eardrum may become sclerotic which will
cause permanent hearing loss.
It is a common disease in children aged below 8 but it
can affect anyone at any age.
Causes
Risk Factors
This type of infection is caused by upper respiratory
tract infection. The bacteria virus propagate in the
middle ear through eustachian tube which causes
inflammation and even perforation of eardrum. Also,
allergic rhinitis or sinusitis is the predisposing factor in
otitis media as long-term nasal blockage may cause
otitis media.
Treatment
• Antibiotic
• Toileting of the ear
• Eliminate predisposing factors
like allergic rhinitis or sinusitis
• Repair the ear
drum
The eardrum separates the middle ear and external ear
canal. If it is perforated, bacteria or fungus can enter
into the middle ear causing inflammation and pus
discharge.
Otitis media with effusion is one of the diseases of
chronic otitis media. The middle ear does not allow
ventilation through the eustachian tube to nasal cavity.
As a result, the secretion would stay in the middle ear
that can cause deafness.
The symptoms of acute otitis media includes ear pain,
fever, deafness and ringing in the ear.
Risk Factors
What is Rupture of the Eardrum?
Otitis media with effusion can affect
anyone at any age. Moreover,
it is a common disease in
children. Nasopharyngeal
carcinoma needs to
be excluded in adult
patients.
Symptoms
Causes
The causes including allergic rhinitis, nasal congestion,
sinusitis, acute otitis media, tonsilladenoid hypertrophy,
nasopharyngeal carcinoma and so on. Those diseases
would cause the inflammation and blockage of
eustachian tube. As a result, the effusion cannot
eliminate. While more than one risk factors have
been incurred, it is advisable to seek medical advice to
conduct an ear check up.
Treatment
The doctor would use an otoscope to check the ear
to diagnose OME. In some cases, hearing tests will
need to be done. In the early stage of treatment,
antihistamine and/or antibiotic are provided. While the
otitis media with effusion lasts for 3 months or it has
affected the hearing, operation on eardrum needs to
be done. The grommet is implanted on the eardrum
that can recover the function of eustachian tube
including ventilation and elimination of effusion.
Common symptoms are:
• Hearing loss
• Ringing in the ears
• Otorrhoea
• It may not be symptomatic
Eardrum perforation
Causes
• Acute / chronic suppurative
otitis media
• Traumatic accident
• Diving
• Explosion
Normal Eardrum
Treatment
The doctor would provide an appropriate treatment to
the patient depending on different circumstances and
the size of perforation of eardrum.
While the rupture of eardrum is occurred recently, in
general, it may be self-recovered. It is appropriate that
the patient is kept under observation.
After a certain period of time if the rupture of eardrum
has not recovered, the patient could consider to
undergo the tympanoplasty to repair the rupture of
eardrum. If left untreated or not heal up, it would
become chronic suppurative otitis media.