A healthy body is the basis for each of us to live, work and study better, and is the primary prerequisite for doing anything. Health requires an optimistic and cheerful attitude towards life, and health also comes from our good habits every day. For you to select some health care and health knowledge, health tips, you better, more scientific conditioning of their bodies, healthy and happy every day!
Myth 1: If you don’t have ear pain or pus in your ear canal, you don’t have otitis media
Expert opinion: Not all otitis media have ear pain and pus flowing from the ear canal.
Expert analysis: Otitis media includes acute and chronic bacterial (purulent) otitis media, catarrhal (secretory) otitis media, cholesteatoma-type otitis media, and other types of otitis media. Overflowing pus from the ear canal and ear pain in the acute stage are the main symptoms of purulent otitis media. Secretory otitis media usually has no symptoms of pus flowing from the ear canal and less ear pain, and may only have problems such as ear stuffiness and hearing loss. Some cholesteatoma-type otitis media may also have no symptoms of ear canal discharge.
Since the symptoms of secretory otitis media are mild and there is usually no ear pain or pus, it is easy to be missed or misdiagnosed. It is worth noting that childhood is a high incidence of secretory otitis media because the eustachian tube is flatter and the nasopharyngeal cavity is smaller in children, and rhinitis and sinusitis are more common. At the same time, because children generally do not complain of symptoms, treatment is more likely to be delayed. Parents must be vigilant if they find that their children turn the sound on too loudly when watching TV or ask others to speak louder when talking to them.
Myth 2: Non-suppurative otitis media has a low incidence and is less harmful
Expert opinion: Non-suppurative otitis media is no less harmful than suppurative otitis media.
The experts analyze: non-suppurative otitis media, because the symptoms are not obvious, often “unknowingly” lead to different degrees of hearing damage, compared with the “obvious” purulent otitis media, the early consultation rate of patients is low, improper treatment or delayed treatment is easy to develop into The risk of chronic otitis media is even greater. Cryptogenic cholesteatoma otitis media can also cause complications such as facial paralysis, meningitis and brain abscess, which can be life-threatening in severe cases.
Misconception 3: As long as there is “water and pus” in the ear canal, it is otitis media
Expert opinion: There are many reasons for “water and pus coming out of the ear canal”.
Expert analysis: In addition to otitis media, many ear diseases also have “watery” symptoms. For example, otitis externa can sometimes manifest as “water” in the ear canal, and when accompanied by bacterial infection, there is pus flow. The main difference between otitis media and otitis media is that the former has an intact eardrum and no perforation. In addition, pus can also manifest itself in the form of pus flow when the external ear canal follicle boils break down or when a tumor in the external ear canal becomes infected with bacteria.
Myth 4: Surgery is not advisable when there is pus in the ear canal
Expert opinion: Surgery when the ear canal is running with pus does not affect the outcome of the surgery.
Expert analysis: In the past, due to the limitation of medical technology, most patients with chronic otitis media and cholesteatoma type otitis media were treated conservatively with medication. If surgery was really needed, it had to be performed only after the flow of pus had stopped for more than six months, otherwise the surgical effect would be affected. Nowadays, due to the development of microscopic otology technology, patients with recurrent chronic otitis media can undergo surgery even during the suppurative stage, so there is no need to worry about whether the flow of pus will affect the surgical effect.
Myth 5: Otitis media surgery can completely restore hearing and eliminate tinnitus
Expert opinion: It is not realistic to expect hearing to return to normal and tinnitus to disappear immediately after surgery.
Expert analysis: The course of otitis media is long and long-term inflammatory stimulation can affect the inner ear system, and patients can have varying degrees of sensorineural hearing damage and tinnitus. Although otitis media tympanoplasty can completely remove the lesions and reconstruct the auditory bone, it can only partially or mostly restore the hearing loss caused by damage to the auditory bone and perforation of the tympanic membrane, and is not effective for sensorineural hearing damage, nor can it directly reduce the symptoms of tinnitus. However, the removal of the lesion is helpful for the indirect recovery of tinnitus.
Myth 6: Treating otitis media with antibiotics is all that is needed
Expert opinion: Antibiotics are only one of the treatments for otitis media.
Expert analysis: This view is rather one-sided. There are many treatments for otitis media, and it is not as simple as taking antibiotics. For example, patients with secretory otitis media are treated mainly for the cause (such as rhinitis, sinusitis, upper respiratory tract infection, etc.) and can use nose drops, Chinese medicine, antibiotics and other drugs; patients with acute otitis media need to use ear drops in addition to antibiotics and patients with ear pain; patients with recurrent middle ear mastoiditis and patients with cholesteatoma-type otitis media should be operated as early as possible.
Myth #7: Otitis media can be treated repeatedly and cannot be cured
Expert opinion: Some otitis media can be cured.
Expert analysis: The main reason why otitis media recurs and is not cured is that medication cannot completely remove the inflammatory lesions and the tympanic membrane is not repaired, leading to water in the middle ear and secondary inflammation. With the development of microscopic otology, some otitis media, such as chronic middle ear mastoiditis and cholesteatoma-type otitis media, can be cured through surgery.
Myth #8: Preventing otitis media is fine as long as the ear canal is waterproof
Expert opinion: Preventing water in the ear canal is only effective for those with perforated eardrums.
Expert Analysis: Preventing water in the ear canal is only effective for people with chronic otitis media and perforated eardrums, but has little effect on other types of otitis media. For example, secretory otitis media and acute bacterial otitis media, because their occurrence is related to the obstruction of the pharyngeal tube, the structure connecting the nose and the ear, all diseases that easily lead to the obstruction of the pharyngeal tube need to be prevented and treated, such as rhinitis, sinusitis, nasal polyps, acute upper respiratory tract infections, nasal tumors, and hyperplasia of the proliferating bodies in children. In addition, try not to frequently and forcefully suck back nasal snot when you have a cold and stuffy nose, puff air into the ear when there is a drastic change in air pressure (such as when an airplane is descending), chew gum, etc., which can also help prevent the occurrence of otitis media.