What Are the Most Common Ear Diseases?

Ear diseases include ear inflammation, deafness, and tumors, which have a wide range of pathogenesis, and severe deafness can leave people in a semi-disabled state.

Ear disease

Ear diseases include ear inflammation, deafness, and tumors, which have a wide range of pathogenesis, and severe deafness can leave people in a semi-disabled state.

nickname

disease

Multiple groups

Remote area

Common locations

ear

Including

Inflammation, deafness, tumor

Including ear inflammation, deafness,

The prominent problem with ear diseases is deafness. Severe deafness caused by various reasons can make people semi-disabled and cause many difficulties. In addition, intracranial complications of chronic suppurative otitis media and mastoiditis are still more common in remote areas, and improper management can lead to life threatening. Middle ear cancer is hidden, difficult to detect early, and has a poor prognosis.

There are the following:

Earache

Ear pain is mainly caused by acute inflammation, such as acute suppurative chondritis, external auditory canalitis and bloating, acute tympanitis, and acute otitis media. Middle ear cancer may have severe pain in its advanced stages. Otogenic intracranial complications may include deep ear pain.

Ear pus

Ear pus flows from the external ear canal and is one of the common symptoms of ear disease. The secretions from external ear canalitis are mostly exudative fluids, and the secretions from otitis media are often purulent. A higher amount indicates that the mastoid is also affected. Chronic otitis media with a stench should be suspected as cholesteatotic otitis media.

deaf

Deafness can occur when there is a lesion in any part of the hearing system. However, different parts of the invasion will cause deafness of different nature. External ear and middle ear lesions will produce conductive deafness. Cochlear lesions and auditory neuromas have sensorineural hearing loss. When there is a lesion above the cochlear nucleus, it is central deafness. There are also functional deafness and pseudo-deafness. Modern audiometry can make qualitative and localized diagnosis of various deafness. Mixed deafness refers to deafness that has both conductive deafness and sensorineural deafness (see Deafness).

tinnitus

Tinnitus can cause a variety of ear disorders such as sound damage and drug-induced deafness. In addition, hypertension, kidney disease, deafness of the elderly can also be caused. The cause can be found based on history and physical examination (see Tinnitus).

dizziness

Dizziness is the illusion that oneself or the external environment is turning. Can be divided into otogenic (periventricular disease) and central. Otogenic vertigo (such as Meniere's disease) is characterized by sudden onset with nausea, vomiting, nystagmus, tinnitus, and hearing loss. Symptoms do not last long. Central vertigo is usually sensorineural deafness or deafness, nystagmus is not obvious, vertigo is mild or just a sense of instability. Such as acoustic neuroma (see Dizziness).

Local swelling

Local swelling such as swelling of auricular chondritis, local redness and swelling of acute mastoiditis, subperiosteal abscess of mastoid, edema of external auditory canal, etc.

Otogenic facial nerve palsy

Otogenic facial nerve palsy Facial nerve palsy in acute otitis media is mostly caused by facial nerve edema, ischemia, and hypoxia, and chronic suppurative middle ear mastoiditis is mostly caused by facial nerve paralysis caused by cholesteatoma of the facial nerve. Facial paralysis can also be caused by trauma to the middle ear surgery or viral infection. The basic clinical symptoms are that the wrinkles on the injured side disappear, the eyes cannot be closed, the facial muscles are loosened, and the corners of the mouth are skewed to the healthy side, which results in facial asymmetry.

Inspection method

The relationship between the test method and other diseases of the otolaryngology and systemic diseases of the nasal and nasopharyngeal diseases, such as inflammatory diseases of the nasal cavity, sinusitis, nasal masses, nasopharyngeal masses, etc. are likely to cause middle ear diseases. The tube opens on the side wall of the nasopharynx. Near the nostril. The infection easily enters the middle ear through the eustachian tube. Especially the eustachian tube of children is short and straight. It is more susceptible to infection. The milk during breastfeeding can also pass through the eustachian. The tube enters the middle ear. In addition, adenoids and tonsils that are proliferated and enlarged in childhood can easily cause otitis media. Systemic diseases such as upper respiratory infections often induce otitis media. Chronic diseases such as hypertension, kidney disease, diabetes, and metabolic diseases can cause ear dysfunction. Manifested as deafness, tinnitus or dizziness.

Diagnosis and differential diagnosis

First, make a preliminary diagnosis based on the time of onset, possible causes, and physical examination. Special cases can be examined based on clinical characteristics for difficult cases. For example, for deaf patients, various audiometry methods can be used. The results often reflect the nature and pathological changes of the disease. Location. Infants and uncooperative cases can be measured with the help of guest observation. Electronysmography can provide clues about the nature of vertigo and the location of the lesion. In addition, some cases require X-rays. Biopsy and other examination items can assist in diagnosis.

Attention should be paid to the differential diagnosis of the following conditions: 1. Conductive deafness. What is likely to cause confusion is the interruption of the ossicular chain and ear sclerosis. Medical history. Acoustic impedance audiometry is helpful in differential diagnosis. If necessary, surgical exploration can be performed. Neurological deafness. It can be started from the pathology and clinical characteristics. For example, the onset of various diseases is not the same as the emergency. Infection. Vascular disease. Sudden deafness usually occurs suddenly. Auditory neuroma. Diabetes. Cirrhosis and other systemic diseases. Deafness progresses slowly. The cause of hearing loss in one or both ears can be different. Occupational deafness. Toxic deafness caused by drugs is mostly simultaneous damage to both ears. Meniere's disease. Middle ear disease causes more It is unilateral. Vestibular function is different. Inner ear lesions and vestibular lesions are mostly damaged. The performance is low. Vestibular function of congenital deafness and occupational deafness is more normal. Special audiometry can identify cochlea. Neurological and central deafness Three vertigo. Medical history plays an important role in the diagnosis of vertigo. In addition, the nature and degree of vertigo in various diseases are also different.

Diseases of the nose and nasopharynx, such as inflammatory diseases of the nasal cavity, sinusitis, nasal masses, nasopharyngeal masses, etc., are likely to cause middle ear diseases. Because the Eustachian tube opens in the side wall of the nasopharynx and near the nostril, the infection easily enters the middle ear through the Eustachian tube. In particular, children's eustachian tubes are short and straight, making them more susceptible to infection. Milk during breastfeeding can also enter the middle ear through the eustachian tube. In addition, hypertrophic adenoids and tonsils in childhood can easily cause otitis media. Systemic diseases such as upper respiratory infections often induce otitis media. Chronic diseases such as hypertension, kidney disease, diabetes, and metabolic diseases can cause ear dysfunction, manifested as deafness, tinnitus or dizziness.

Ear Diseases-Diagnosis and differential diagnosis are based on a preliminary diagnosis based on the time of onset, possible causes, and physical examination. Difficult cases can be examined based on clinical characteristics. For example, for deaf patients, various audiometry methods can be used, and the results often reflect the nature of the disease and the location of the lesion. Young children and uncooperative cases can be aided by objective observations. EEG can provide clues about the nature of vertigo and the location of the lesion. In addition, some cases need to be diagnosed with X-rays, biopsies, and other tests. Attention should be paid to the differential diagnosis of:

Conductive deafness. Easily confusing are the broken ossicular chain and otosclerosis. Medical history and acoustic impedance audiometry are helpful for differential diagnosis. If necessary, surgical exploration can be performed.

sensorineural hearing loss. Can start from the pathology and clinical characteristics. As the onset of various diseases is not exactly the same, infections, vascular lesions, and deafening deafness often occur suddenly, while those with systemic diseases such as acoustic neuroma, diabetes, and liver cirrhosis, progress slowly in deafness. The etiology of hearing impairment in one or both ears can be different, such as occupational deafness, drug-induced deafness, etc., which are mostly damaged in both ears at the same time. Menier's disease and middle ear disease are mostly unilateral. Vestibular function is different. The vestibular function of inner ear lesions is mostly impaired, manifested as hypofunction, and the vestibular function of congenital deafness and occupational deafness is more normal. Special audiometry can identify cochlear, neurogenic, and central deafness.

Vertigo. Medical history plays an important role in the diagnosis of vertigo. In addition, there are differences in the nature and degree of vertigo in various diseases.

Take effective treatment measures for different causes.

Inflammation

Inflammation Acute inflammation, such as acute otitis media, should actively select specific drugs for anti-inflammatory treatment, and can be combined with other measures such as physical therapy. Ear diseases secondary to nasal and pharynx diseases should be treated promptly. Chronic inflammation is mainly drainage and topical anti-inflammatory drugs. If the middle ear mastoiditis is unhealed or has complications, it should be treated with surgery.

deaf

Deafness Deafness can occur when there is a lesion in any part of the hearing system. However, different parts are affected. Deafness of different properties will appear. External ears. Middle ear lesions will produce conductive deafness. Cochlear lesions and auditory neuroma will have sensorineural hearing loss Central deafness when there are lesions above the cochlear nucleus. In addition, there are functional deafness and pseudo-deafness. Modern audiometry can characterize various deafness. Localized diagnosis. Mixed deafness refers to the existing conductivity The deaf component also has deafness manifested by sensorineural hearing loss (see Deafness).

Tumor

Benign tumors of the ear should be treated with surgery. Malignant tumors, such as middle ear cancer, must be completely resected, or a subtotal temporal bone resection must be performed with radiation therapy.

Otogenic facial nerve palsy

Otogenic facial nerve palsy caused by acute otitis media should strengthen anti-inflammatory swelling treatment, if necessary, mastoid surgery to facilitate anti-inflammatory drainage. Patients with chronic suppurative otitis media immediately undergo surgery to remove peripheral facial lesions. If the condition does not improve, facial nerve decompression should be considered. Decompression surgery should also be performed when patients due to viral infection do not respond to conservative treatment.