Is it possible to warm the ear with otitis

Miscellaneous / by admin / April 23, 2022

We deal with an otorhinolaryngologist.

What is otitis and how does it happen

This term is often erroneously applied to any pain in the ear. Real ear pain maybeEar Pain: Diagnosing Common and Uncommon Causes / NIH talk about various diseases, such as dental infections and jaw pathologies, and otitis is only one of the possible diagnoses. Otitis media itself is also different.

Ekaterina Stepanova

Otorhinolaryngologist.

There is otitis externa, middle and inner ear. The latter is also called labyrinthite. The symptom that unites the inflammation of all three departments is pain. But other manifestations are also possible: hearing loss, itching, swelling of the skin of the ear canal, discharge from the ear, dizziness. They are expressed more or less intensely or may be absent altogether.

Otitis is distinguished not only by the place of the lesion. For example, inflammation middle ear, which includedDeafness and hearing loss / WHO in the list of common causes of childhood deafness, may beOtitis media/NIH

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acute and chronic, purulent and non-purulent, with effusion (accumulation of fluid in the auditory canal) and without. Only a specialist can determine the exact type and localization of the disease. By the way, sometimes inflammation leaksClassification and criteria of otitis media / Clinical Microbiology and Infection asymptomatic and becomes an unpleasant surprise in the office of an otorhinolaryngologist. In such cases, a person can only feel ear congestion.

What causes otitis

Going outside in winter, autumn or early spring without a hat is a sure way to piss off grandma and get ear infections. It is difficult to argue with the first part of the statement, but the second is a myth.

Ekaterina Stepanova

The cause of otitis is not the wind that “blew” into the ear, but viruses, bacteria, fungi and injuries. At the same time, local hypothermia of the skin of the outer ear can indeed cause pain, but this is a neurological reaction, the symptoms of which usually disappear on their own.

It is necessary to identify the cause of otitis media in order to choose the right treatment tactics. For example, otitis media with effusion, which is also popularly called "glue ear", is often developsOtitis Media With Effusion / NIH due to allergies or viral infections, and antibiotic treatment in this case may beOtitis Media With Effusion / NIH ineffective. Otitis externa (or "swimmer's ear" - in honor of the most common victim), on the contrary, often provokedOtitis externa/NIH fungal and bacterial infections. In this option, the doctor may prescribe a combination of antimicrobial and antifungal therapy.

The causes of labyrinthitis are also often are hiddenLabyrinthitis/NIH in viral and bacterial infections coming from the upper respiratory tract. But sometimes inflammation of the inner ear is consequenceLabyrinthitis and Labyrinthitis Ossificans — A case report and review of the literature / NIH head injury or hemorrhage. The only true scheme treatment for otitis media no. And it’s definitely not worth relying on folk methods in the case of inflammation of the ears.

Is it possible to warm the ear with otitis

Walk around the apartment with the batteries unscrewed to the full and in a winter hat, use ear candles, do hot salt compresses, sleeping on a heating pad are just some of the popular home remedies otitis. The benefits of such manipulations are doubtful, but the list of negative consequences can be wide. For example, heat and moisture are factors that provokePrimary care management of otitis externa / NIH development of inflammation of the external ear. Therefore, compresses can aggravate the course of the disease.

Ekaterina Stepanova

Warming up and ear candles at best do not help, at worst they provoke a more severe course and make it difficult for a doctor to diagnose. As a result, this affects the timing and cost of treatment. And since the ear is closely related to brain, self-medication can have serious consequences, even death. And hats, compresses and heating pads will help only in one case: when the skin on the auricles reacted to the cold. Then getting warm is a really smart decision. But such complaints are associated only with the reaction of nerve endings and have nothing to do with otitis media. By the way, the pain of the external ear is usually found in people who, in principle, cannot be on the street without a hat, even in cool weather.