Fact
Sheet: Better Ear Health
Many medical conditions, such as those listed below, can
affect your hearing health. Treatment of these and other hearing
losses can often lead to improved or restored hearing. If left
undiagnosed and untreated, some conditions can lead to irreversible
hearing impairment or deafness. If you suspect that you or your
loved one has a problem with their hearing, ensure optimal hearing
healthcare by seeking a medical diagnosis from a physician.
Otitis media
The most common cause of hearing loss in children
is otitis media, the medical term for a middle ear infection or
inflammation of the middle ear. This condition can occur in one
or both ears and primarily affects children due to the shape of
the young Eustachian tube (and is the most frequent diagnosis
for children visiting a physician). When left undiagnosed and
untreated, otitis media can lead to infection of the mastoid bone
behind the ear (mastoiditis), a ruptured ear drum, and hearing
loss.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is the medical name indicating “ringing
in the ears,” which includes noises ranging from loud roaring
to clicking, humming, or buzzing. Most tinnitus comes from damage
to the microscopic endings of the hearing nerve in the inner ear.
The health of these nerve endings is important for acute hearing,
and injury to them brings on hearing loss and often tinnitus.
Hearing nerve impairment and tinnitus can also be a natural accompaniment
of advancing age. Exposure to loud noise is probably the leading
cause of tinnitus damage to hearing in younger people. Medical
treatments and assistive hearing devices are often helpful to
those with this condition.
Swimmer’s ear
An infection of the outer ear structures caused
when water gets trapped in the ear canal leading to a collection
of trapped bacteria is known as swimmer’s ear or otitis externa.
In this warm, moist environment, bacteria multiply causing irritation
and infection of the ear canal. Although it typically occurs in
swimmers, bathing or showering can also contribute to this common
infection. In severe cases, the ear canal may swell shut leading
to temporary hearing loss and making administration of medications
difficult.
Earwax
Earwax (also known as cerumen) is produced
by special glands in the outer part of the ear canal and is designed
to trap dust and dirt particles keeping them from reaching the
eardrum. Usually the wax accumulates, dries, and then falls out
of the ear on its own or is wiped away. One of the most common
and easily treatable causes of hearing loss is accumulated earwax.
Using cotton swabs or other small objects to remove earwax is
not recommended as it pushes the earwax deeper into the ear, increasing
buildup and affecting hearing. Excessive earwax can be a chronic
condition best treated by a physician.
Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease
Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) is an inflammatory
condition of the inner ear. It occurs when the body's immune system
attacks cells in the inner ear that are mistaken for a virus or
bacteria. Prompt medical diagnosis is essential to ensure the
most favorable prognosis. Therefore, recognizing the symptoms
of AIED is important: sudden hearing loss in one ear progressing
rapidly to the second and continued loss of hearing over weeks
or months, a feeling of ear fullness, vertigo, and tinnitus. Treatments
primarily include medications but hearing aids and cochlear implants
are helpful to some.
Cholesteatoma
A cholesteatoma is a skin growth that occurs
in the middle ear behind the eardrum. This condition usually results
from poor eustachian tube function concurrent with middle ear
infection (otitis media), but can also be present at birth. The
condition is treatable, but can only be diagnosed by medical examination.
Over time, untreated cholesteatoma can lead to bone erosion and
spread of the ear infection to localized areas such as the inner
ear and brain. If untreated, deafness, brain abscess, meningitis,
and death can occur.
Perforated eardrum
A perforated eardrum is a hole or rupture in
the eardrum, a thin membrane that separates the ear canal and
the middle ear. A perforated eardrum is often accompanied by decreased
hearing and occasional discharge with possible pain. The amount
of hearing loss experienced depends on the degree and location
of perforation. Sometimes a perforated eardrum will heal spontaneously,
other times surgery to repair the hole is necessary. Serious problems
can occur if water or bacteria enter the middle ear through the
hole. A physician can advise you on protection of the ear from
water and bacteria until the hole is repaired.
Source:
This page is adapted from a brochure published by the American
Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Inc., 2000
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