What is a chronic medium ear infection?
Chronic medium ear infection refers to recurrent infections of the medium ear, caused by the perforation of the eardrum membrane or by one of the following causes:
– Acute infection
– Eustace trunk obstruction
– Lesion caused by sudden change of air pressure
– Lesion caused by an object intrusion into the ear
– Lesion caused by heat or a chemical burning
Chronic adult ear infections usually occur after a cold or when water gets into the ear (for example after a bath or swimming). Recurrent infections can destroy medium ear bones, causing a permanent loss of hearing. Other severe complications are: internal ear inflammation, facial paralysis and meningitis.
Diagnosing An Ear Infection
The doctor will ask a few questions about your health and your ear pain to evaluate your symptoms. The diagnosing of a chronic ear infection is done after a doctor examines the ear with a special apparatus. They use a tool which allows them to see into your ear. If it appears red and swollen, you probably have an ear infection.
If it secrets puss, the doctor can draw a sample to be analyzed in the lab, which leads to the identification of the bacteria type which caused the infection.
Chronic ear infection can be diagnosed as well, by talking with the patient about their infections and measuring pressure over both parts of the eardrum membrane.
Treatment
Medium ear infection treatment depends on a series of factors, among which the most important are:
– Infection type and severity
– Chronic ear infection episodes frequency
– Chronic ear infection episode duration
– Age
– Risk factors
– Whether the ear infection affects the adult’s hearing
Most ear infections can be cured bu themselves in a relatively short period of time. That is why some doctors prefer to wait a few days before recommending antibiotics. This “wait and see” method is not recommended for persons suffering from other diseases though, especially those related to the immune system or recurrent episodes of acute ear infection.
In general, antibiotics are used for treating medium ear infections. In order to reduce the risk of a relapse, it is recommended to be taken the whole amount of antibiotics prescribed, even if acute symptoms disappeared.
De-congestion medication is used to prevent Eustace trunk obstruction and analgesics reduce fever and pain. By applying warm compresses on the infected ear, you can alleviate some of the pain caused by the infection.
When the eardrum is perforated, your doctor may recommend that you treat chronic ear infections through surgery. This may seem like a big and scary step, but most people find that it really helps get their lives back to normal.
Prevention
In general, it is very difficult to prevent ear infections because most of us are exposed to catching cold. However, we can take some measures which could prove useful in reducing your chances of getting one:
– First of all you should have an almost exclusively natural diet, based on fruit, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains. Processed and packaged foods lower the efficiency of the immune system.
– Research shows that smokers are more likely to suffer from ear infections than non-smokers. So if you’re suffering from chronic ear infections and happen to smoke, I highly recommend that you quit.
– Stay home a little more often during the cold and flu seasons. This will lessen the number of contaminated people you come in contact with. Of course you still need to go to work or school during the weekdays, but skip the weekend parties and weekly trips to the movies.
– Wash your hands throughout the day. This reduces your chances of catching a cold or flu, which might then cause a bad ear infection.
– Vaccinate your children on time. This reduces their chances of illness during their youth and adulthood. It also means that you’re less likely to catch a bug from them.
Solving the mystery of how chronic adult ear infections can be cured is no easy task. There are many different solutions that depend on your health, environmental factors, etc. The best thing you can do is aim for a healthy immune system and avoid catching colds and flu’s whenever possible.
