Eustachiitis has several different manifestations, and the essence of this disease is inflammation of the mucous membrane of the auditory tube. This is one of the components of the middle ear, and any inflammatory process in the immediate vicinity of the brain is fraught with serious complications. In order not to miss its beginning it is desirable to know everything about this disease.
Clinical picture of eustachyte
Disturbances in the ventilation of the eustachian tube associated with swelling due to the inflammatory process leads to hearing impairment. Initially, it may look like sulfur plugs, but as the disease progresses, more serious symptoms appear.
The membrane loses the necessary mobility, stops vibrating fully, causing distortion of the sound itself and its loudness, but hearing problems are not the only symptom of the disease.
Symptoms and methods of diagnosing a disease in adults
Because of the peculiarities of the structure of the auditory tube, the disease in adults manifests itself brighter and progresses faster. The first symptom, namely, hearing loss, many ignore until the appearance of other symptoms. All of them are specific at the initial stages of the disease, they are also not immediately given due attention.
In addition to hearing impairment, eustachiitis may have symptoms such as:
- Nasal congestion of one or both ears
- Rapid reduction of hearing acuity
- Echo of own voice
- Feeling of gravity or pressure from the affected side
- Occurrence of extraneous noise or sound of poured water in the ear.
Progression of the disease or its transition to the chronic stage may give other signs. Possible the appearance of headaches, painful pressure in the ears, persistent hearing loss down to total deafness.
To diagnose a disease, an otolaryngologist may prescribe audiometry, otoscopy, ear manometry and concomitant studies to identify nasopharyngeal diseases.
The photo shows schematically the internal structure of the hearing aid
Signs of eustachyte in children
Tubootitis is one of the names of eustachytes, a frequent companion of toddlers from the category of JDI.This often sick children, common colds lead to the penetration of bacteria and viruses into the Eustachian tube, causing the same symptoms as in adults.
Eustachiitis in itself rarely gives a temperature, it usually rises when otitis occurs. Pain syndrome is also almost always absent, so it is difficult to suspect the disease at the very beginning in children.
It is worthwhile to be alert if the child complains of water in the ear, together with constant requests to repeat something said. Also, some children can speak directly about autophony - more often these are statements about echoes in the ears or stories of kids about someone repeating after him.
Causes of the disease
The most common cause of childhood incidence of eustachiitis is weak immunity, colds with a runny nose for fragile toddlers are capable of provoking the disease.
Any nasal obstruction, not associated with an infection, can also contribute to the development of tubototitis. This may be an allergy, a curvature of the nasal septum, anomalies in the structure, or an enlarged adenoid.
Also the development of the disease is possible due to polyps on the mucosa. In rare cases, tuberculosis or chlamydia can be the cause of eustachyitis. The same applies to fungal lesions of Eustachian tubes. In such cases, special therapy is needed.
How is the Eustachian tube in adults and children
The forms and phases of the disease
The first phase of the disease is considered the appearance of a symptom of hearing loss, then there are other symptoms. This is typical for all forms of tubotitis, although there will be differences in the progress of the disease.
Eustachiitis is acute and chronic, sometimes differing in symptoms and requiring different treatment. Also it is necessary to allocate and bilaterial form of the disease. It can be both acute and chronic.
Acute form of eustachyte
The acute form of the disease is able to pass by itself without treatment, but this does not mean that you should abandon it and wait until the eustachyte passes by itself. Symptomatology of the disease can pass from usual vasoconstrictive drops or disappear when chewing or swallowing.
Without treatment, the disease is fraught with serious complications or transition to a chronic form. Any inflammatory processes in the immediate areas of the brain are highly undesirable.
Features of the chronic form of the disease
The exacerbation of chronic eustachyitis is slightly different from the symptoms from the acute form of the disease, from the apparent noticeable only an increasing loss of hearing acuity.
In rare cases, there may be a headache and a slight temperature. Pain in the ear, dizziness and high fever may occur if otitis media appears in the middle ear against a background of eustachytes.
At the same time, after examining the doctor, you can accurately know the form of the disease - a chronic eustachiitis gives specific signs. These include the retraction of the tympanic membrane, the appearance of redness and narrowing of the lumen of the auditory tube.
Methods and methods for treating eustachyte
Antibiotics or antiviral drugs of various levels may be required to treat acute and chronic forms of eustachyte. Also, the duration of treatment, the possibility of using folk remedies and procedures will differ.
Often the treatment of eustachyte should be combined with the strengthening of immunity, so prescribe and tempering procedures, and drugs that support or form the immune system. Also can be used catheterization of the auditory tube and various physiotherapy procedures.
Drug treatment - antibiotics, drops and other methods
Treatment of any form of eustachyte necessarily accompanied by vasoconstrictor drops or sprays. It is important to reduce the swelling of the nasopharynx, thereby restoring the patency of the auditory tube. For the same purpose, antihistamines and drops are used in allergic eustachytes, for example, Otypaks.
Depending on the pathogen in acute tubootitis, various antibiotics or antiviral drugs are given in the form of tablets or injections. Chronic otitis requires a longer treatment, there is a need to support immunity. In both forms of the disease, it is possible to prescribe procedures for UHF, UFO, pneumomassage, and laser therapy.
Folk remedies against eustachyite
The use of folk remedies has the same goal - to restore the patency of the pipe. For this, juice of onion or aloe, Kalanchoe in the form of drops, which help to clean the nasopharynx from mucus can be used.
Also onion juice is buried in the ear at eustachyte.
Even physicians recommend using alternative medicine: various herbal preparations and tinctures in order to strengthen immunity.
Also, doctors often advise to perform steam baths for the ears or inhalation with a rhinitis specifically with plant components or natural oils or a lotion with boric alcohol.
In some cases, folk methods are powerless, the pathogens are resistant to the gentle influence of folk remedies.
Features of treatment of chlamydial eustachyte
By results of bacteriological inoculation it is possible to reveal the specific pathogen. According to the standards of medical care, bapses should be performed immediately, but often it is performed only in the absence of a positive reaction to treatment.
Chlamydial pharyngitis or tonsillitis can cause penetration of the pathogen into the auditory tube. In this case, it is impossible to refuse medical treatment, it is necessarily performed with antibiotics - folk remedies can not help cure chlamydial eustachyte.
Harmful and useful actions with eustachyte
The most harmful action in inflammation of the auditory tube is vigorous or incorrect blowing out. This can contribute to the re-entry of infected mucus into the Eustachian tube, increasing inflammation and developing swelling. Also, for the same reason, it is not recommended to perform blows on the Politzer.
See in our video how to treat eustachyte in specialized clinics:
Prevention of the disease
This disease has few preventive measures, rather they are associated with concomitant diseases:
- The best prevention of eustachitis is the prevention of catarrhal, viral and fungal nasopharyngeal lesions.
- To prevent eustachyitis, timely detection and properly organized allergy therapy will help.
- With the goal of preventing any ENT diseases, it is advisable to carry out general body hardening, vitaminization and mineralotherapy. This will help to strengthen immunity and reduce the likelihood of any inflammatory processes.
- Another prophylactic tool can be considered correct teaching blowout.
A simple acute form of eustachyitis caused by a common cold can completely pass without consequences for the body. Nevertheless, this disease often changes into a chronic form or otitis media of the middle ear, and can lead to complete or partial loss of hearing.
Therefore, the treatment of eustachyte should be taken seriously, using medical methods, folk remedies and following advice on the use of prevention measures.