Causes, symptoms and treatment of bilateral otitis media
Content:
- Symptoms of bilateral otitis media
- Causes of bilateral otitis media
- Types of bilateral otitis media
- Diagnosis of bilateral otitis media
- Treatment of bilateral otitis media
Bilateral otitis media is an infection of the middle ear. The disease is quite serious and poses a danger to young children, they are the most frequent patients with a similar problem. 80% of babies under the age of three have had an episode of the disease at least once. Bilateral otitis media is diagnosed in the vast majority of cases, unilateral inflammation is found in only 10% of patients.
The disease often proceeds with various complications, the development of which can be prevented at the acute stage of the inflammatory process with timely treatment and correctly selected therapy tactics.
Symptoms of bilateral otitis media
In adults and children, the symptoms of bilateral otitis media are the same:
- Ear pain radiating to the temples, neck, or jaw;
- Increased body temperature;
- Feeling of ear congestion, hearing impairment;
- Noise in ears;
- General weakness and irritability.
In some cases, nausea and vomiting may occur, as well as soreness and swollen lymph nodes. In severe otitis media, purulent discharge from the ear is possible.
For the acute form of bilateral otitis media, a rapid increase in pain is characteristic, it intensifies with every hour or minute. In addition, nasal congestion, mucous discharge from it and a sore throat are possible. The symptoms of chronic otitis media are less pronounced, with this course of the disease, its development occurs slowly.
Causes of bilateral otitis media
There are many factors that can provoke the appearance of bilateral otitis media. In young children, the tendency to inflammatory processes in the middle ear is explained by the peculiarities of the anatomical structure of the hearing aid. The eustachian tube, which connects the nasopharynx to the inner ear cavity, is short, wide and horizontal. These factors contribute to the rapid penetration of infection into the middle ear and its inflammation.
A negative role in the development of pathology can be played by a feature of the structure of the mucous surface of the inner ear. If in an adult it is smooth, then in a child it is loose and soft with a small number of blood vessels, which makes it vulnerable to pathogenic microorganisms. Also, the disease can develop against the background of a decrease in immunity or as a complication after viral colds infections. Otitis media is often associated with diseases such as scarlet fever, diphtheria and measles.
In a nursing baby, ear inflammation may occur after the mother's milk has entered the Eustachian tube. Therefore, you should feed the baby at an angle, and after feeding, swear it in a column, and not lay it horizontally in the crib.
In adults, despite the prejudice, acute otitis media is not directly associated with hypothermia, exposure to drafts, walking in cold weather with a bare head and water entering the ear. Disease-causing bacteria and viruses penetrate into the auditory tube and then into the middle ear cavity when you blow your nose incorrectly with two nostrils simultaneously with a closed mouth.
Various chronic pathological conditions can contribute to the disease: the presence of adenoids and curvature of the nasal septum. In addition, the causative agent of the disease in the case of flu or other infectious disease can enter the inner ear cavity with the blood flow. Also, the inflammatory process can begin as a result of damage to the tympanic membrane and the penetration of the pathogen from the external environment.
Types of bilateral otitis media
There are two forms of the course of bilateral otitis media:
- Sharp;
- Chronic.
Depending on the degree of spread, the disease is:
- Limited (in the form of local inflammation);
- Diffuse (extends to the entire ear canal).
A conditional division of otitis media into two forms is possible:
- Exudative - characterized by acute inflammation in the passage of the Eustachian tube and on the tympanic membrane with the formation of serous, hemorrhagic or purulent exudate.
- Congestive - the same inflammatory process, but without the release of exudate.
Diagnosis of bilateral otitis media
Ear complaints often occur against the background of acute respiratory viral infections, influenza, diseases of the nose, sinuses and with pathological enlargement of the tonsils. For an experienced otolaryngologist, it is not difficult to establish an accurate diagnosis based on the examination of the patient and his interview. In the case of bilateral otitis media in a young child, pressure on the protruding cartilage in the front of the ear causes him to experience sharp pain and crying, this sign indicates inflammation in the ear canal.
On close examination, the doctor discovers a protrusion and redness of the tympanic membrane, and its ruptures and purulent discharge in the ear canal can also be observed. Difficulty nasal breathing is the reason for endoscopic examination of the nasopharynx and the mouth of the auditory tube. Samples with tuning forks are shown in case of hearing loss, and tympanometry makes it possible to assess the mobility of the tympanic membrane and the pressure in the cavity behind it. For an accurate examination of hearing, audiometry is prescribed.
Treatment of bilateral otitis media
Before starting treatment for otitis media, the cause of its occurrence is determined. If bilateral otitis media is the result of any disease, then all efforts are directed to the treatment of the underlying ailment. In the case when the inflammation occurs initially in the area of the Eustachian tube, local treatment with ear drops and vasoconstrictor drugs for the nose is prescribed. At the initial stage, in the absence of a purulent process, physiotherapeutic measures and warming compresses on the parotid zone can be recommended.
In the absence of damage to the eardrum, anesthetic drops are prescribed, and if it is perforated, local antibiotics are prescribed. Self-medication in this situation can be extremely dangerous and lead to hearing loss.
On the subject: Treatment of otitis media at home
Systemic antibiotics are immediately prescribed to children under two years of age, with severe development of otitis media and people with severe immunodeficiency. In other cases, these drugs can be used depending on the patient's condition 2-3 days after the onset of the disease.
The accumulation of pus in the tympanic cavity of the ear causes a stretching of the membrane, an increase in body temperature and severe pain. Eardrum puncture under local anesthesia (paracentesis) may be recommended to relieve symptoms. When the acute period of the disease has passed, physiotherapy procedures, blowing out the ears and a number of special exercises for the auditory tube are prescribed.
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The author of the article: Lazarev Oleg Vladimirovich | ENT
Education: In 2009, he received a diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" at the Petrozavodsk State University. After completing an internship at the Murmansk Regional Clinical Hospital, he received a diploma in Otorhinolaryngology (2010)
