Otitis media has the potential to cause deafness, but if it is treated aggressively, deafness can be avoided to the greatest extent possible.
Otitis media refers to the inflammation of the middle ear caused by bacterial or viral infection. The lesion may involve all or part of the middle ear structure, and the patient may suffer from ear pain, ear canal discharge, hearing loss, tinnitus and other symptoms.
Repeated episodes of acute otitis media or long-term chronic otitis media are prone to tympanosclerosis, and tympanosclerosis is one of the most important causes of conductive deafness. It is usually a progressive hearing loss with bilateral onset and a history of several years to decades.
Poor healing of acute and chronic otitis media can also lead to adhesive otitis media, in which the function of the sound-transmitting structures of the middle ear is disrupted, resulting in conductive deafness.
Otitis media may also cause inner ear infections, resulting in damage to the auditory nerve, leading to the sequelae of sensorineural deafness.
It is recommended that once the diagnosis is confirmed, the patient should consult a doctor in a timely manner, and avoid self-medication to avoid delaying the condition, which may lead to irreversible results.