”Ear pain, stuffy ears, inability to hear, pus in the ears, and buzzing in the ears” are the complaints of many patients who come to the hospital, and you may have otitis media. The ear is a peripheral sensory organ for hearing and locus coeruleus (balance perception), and its end receptors are located in the temporal bone. Sound waves are transmitted to the inner ear through the external auditory canal, tympanic membrane and auditory tuberosities, and then through the auditory nerve to the center, producing the sense of hearing. When inflammatory lesions occur in the middle ear, the auditory function of the ear is greatly affected, and in severe cases, the balance function is also affected. Furthermore, the facial nerve passes through the middle ear, and if the inflammation involves the facial nerve, it can lead to facial paralysis on one side. Otitis media is broadly divided into secretory otitis media and purulent otitis media. Behind our nose in the nasopharynx is a very thin tube called the eustachian tube, which connects to the middle ear and is an anatomical structure that balances the pressure between the middle ear and the outside world. We may feel its presence when riding in an airplane or elevator, and if it does not open in time or if it becomes blocked, we may feel stuffy ears and hearing loss. If the eustachian tube continues to be dysfunctional or obstructed, the pressure in the middle ear cavity is not balanced with the outside world and inflammatory changes occur, resulting in fluid accumulation in the tympanic cavity (medically known as secretory fluid, exposed fluid and exudate), which is called secretory otitis media. Adenoid hypertrophy of the nasopharynx, colds and other causes of eustachian tube dysfunction in children are the causes. If bacteria from the nasal cavity, oral cavity and pharynx reach the middle ear drum via the eustachian tube retrogradely, it will cause purulent otitis media, and cold, rhinitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis and inflammation in the oral cavity can cause purulent otitis media if they reach the middle ear via the eustachian tube. A. Prevention of otitis media can start from the following aspects: 1. master the correct method of blowing the nose: (1) incorrect method of blowing the nose: some people blow their nose with two fingers pinch both sides of the nose, trying to force the nasal snot out, this method of blowing the nose not only can not completely blow the nose and very dangerous, if both sides of the nostrils pinch force blowing, the pressure forces the nasal snot containing a large number of viruses and bacteria to the post-nasal hole out If the nostrils are pinched and blown hard on both sides, the pressure forces the snot containing a lot of viruses and bacteria out of the posterior nostrils and reaches the middle ear through the eustachian tube retrograde and causes otitis media. (2) The correct way to blow the nose: lightly press the front nostril on one side with the thumb and gently blow the snot in the open nasal cavity on the opposite side. 2.Prevent colds and flu and strengthen the body’s resistance. 3.Master the correct swimming method: When swimming, master the basic method of inhaling through the mouth and exhaling through the nose to prevent choking. People who have otitis media or otitis media soon after healing should not swim. When there is an acute infection in the respiratory system, the resistance of the eustachian tube is reduced, so do not swim temporarily. 4. Prevent acute infectious diseases: Otitis media is also often a complication of some acute infectious diseases during childhood. 5. Pay attention to the influence of the adjacent structures of the middle ear: actively treat colds, rhinitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis and inflammatory diseases in the mouth. 6. Master the correct breastfeeding posture and change bad breastfeeding habits: Do not lay the child flat when breastfeeding, and keep the head higher to prevent milk from entering the middle ear via the eustachian tube and leading to otitis media. 7. Avoid inappropriate ear digging, which can lead to perforation of the eardrum and bacteria entering the middle ear directly through the external ear canal. Treatment of otitis media: 1. Secretory otitis media: For secretory otitis media, the main treatment is to eliminate the cause of the dysfunction of the eustachian tube. 2.Acute suppurative otitis media: The treatment of acute suppurative otitis media is based on anti-inflammatory treatment, including antibiotic drug drops and oral antibiotics, and in severe cases, antibiotics can also be injected intramuscularly or intravenously. 3. Chronic suppurative otitis media: Chronic suppurative otitis media is clinically divided into three types: simple, osteochondritis and cholesteatoma. Most of them have non-self-curing tympanic membrane perforation, and most of the cases need surgery, which is aimed at removing the lesion and restoring hearing. Surgery includes tympanic membrane repair, tympanoplasty, and reconstruction of the auditory chain. In particular, cholesteatoma type otitis media needs to be taken seriously. Although cholesteatoma is not a tumor, it is destructive and can cause serious complications once it destroys the skull base bone and invades the skull, so once cholesteatoma type otitis media is diagnosed, it should be operated as soon as possible.