An infection that risks our hearing
People suffering from chronic otitis media should avoid swimming. Net photo .
What you need to know:
Otitis media is a fairly common ear infection with potentially grave consequences on hearing and balance especially among children, who are most affected by this ear problem.
The ear is divided into three parts that is; the outer, middle and inner ear. The outer ear consists of the pinna and the ear canal.
The middle ear consists of an air space and the osscicles (three small bones) that transport sound from the eardrum to the inner ear.
The inner ear houses the hearing and balancing components while the cochlear and the cochlear nerve are responsible for hearing yet the semi-circular canals and the vestibular nerve are responsible for body balance.
“Otitis media is an infection of the middle ear. It is a common childhood problem and at least two out of three children have an episode of this by the age of three,” says Dr Ricky Byaruhanga, an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist at Kampala Ear, Nose, Throat and Sinus Centre in Kamwokya.
It is a common infection and about 90 per cent of children may have experienced this infection by the time they start school.
This ear infection is a painful one because it causes inflammation of the middle ear.
Vulnerable group
More children than adults are likely to get the infection because they are prone to upper respiratory tract infections.
The respiratory infections make it easy for otitis media to attack children because of their weak immune system and their short and wide eustachian tubes.
Infection levels
Acute otitis media is common among children and easily responds to treatment such as painkillers, ear drops and other drugs depending on the cause of the infection.
Chronic otitis media is a result of many episodes of untreated acute otitis media that becomes chronic.
It is a persistent ear infection that results into perforation of the eardrum.
Here, the ear intermittently discharges pus which may be yellowish or bloody depending on the level of the infection.
The ENT specialist warns people suffering from chronic otitis media to keep the ear dry or if possible, avoid swimming. “While bathing, put a cotton swab with Vaseline in the ear to prevent water from entering the infected ear to avoid re-infection,” he says.
Causes
According to Dr Byaruhanga, about 25 per cent of otitis media cases in children are viral and the rest are bacterial. Streptococcus pneumonae accounts for 35 per cent, hemophilia influenza 25 per cent and moraxella catarrhalis 15 per cent.”
The infection may result from colds and flu, which congest the throat. The doctor should be able to tell whether the infection is viral or bacterial after taking your history and doing an ear and blood examination.
Signs and symptoms
Headache and high fever
Difficulty in hearing and responding to sounds
Ear pain, which may be accompanied with an inflamed eardrum
Crying and vomiting in young children
Upper respiratory infections like colds, allergies, cough and flu
In some instances, the infection causes perforation of the eardrum. There may be a discharge from the ear.
Treatment
This depends on the cause of the infection but it is always advisable to see a doctor as soon as the child complains of pain in the ear and there is discharge from the ear.
Antibiotics and painkillers can treat acute otitis media of bacterial origin. An operation may be required especially for chronic cases where the eardrum is perforated.
Complications
If untreated or unresponsive to treatment, a person may have problems with balancing the body as well as reduced hearing.
A child may experience delayed speech development and the infection may extend to the bones and brain (rarely) thus causing meningitis or brain abscess.
