Can middle ear infections cause deafness?

  Chronic suppurative otitis media is a chronic purulent inflammation of the middle ear mucosa, periosteum or deep into the bone. There are three main types of otitis media, simple, osteochondritis and cholesteatoma. Cholesteatoma of the middle ear, in particular, is more dangerous to hearing. Otitis media is a common and frequent clinical condition. The main symptoms are recurrent pus in the ear, perforation of the eardrum and hearing loss. It can even cause serious intracranial and extracranial complications that can be life-threatening.  The occurrence of total or profound deafness due to chronic suppurative otitis media is associated with pus and blood flow, erosion of the middle ear auditory tuberosity by cholesteatoma, structural destruction or even loss of the middle ear, and vagal fistula, the presence or absence of which is one of the important factors in the development of total deafness.  Clinically, it has long been found that chronic suppurative otitis media damage to inner ear function is also damage to the cells of the auditory nerve endings, especially in otitis media complicated by cholesteatoma, which is more serious in terms of hearing damage. The causes and mechanisms of inner ear damage include infection of the inner ear and the toxic effects of inflammatory products on the inner ear. In clinical practice, such patients often have a history of otitis media for more than 5 years, and when the pus flows, they order some medicine, thinking that the otologic disease is also not life-threatening, so the disease is prolonged, and the problem is felt only when serious hearing loss occurs or even when a life-threatening brain abscess occurs.  Early treatment of otitis media is the key to treatment. Remember, the right medicine should be taken, the treatment period should be long enough, and the point of ear medicine should be in place, etc. This is the key to treatment. If the lesion is already chronic, don’t be afraid to use a professional otologist to assess the extent of the lesion to determine the treatment method, whether it is conservative treatment or surgery, which is not terrible. Therefore, the prevention and treatment of otitis media is also an important key to prevent and cure deafness.