Contents:
- Medical Video: Your Ears Can Indicate Your Health: Don't Ignore These 8 Factors
- Some of the most common ear problems
- 1. Otitis media
- 2. Tinnitus
- 3. Swimmer's ear (swimmer's ear)
- 4. Stack of earwax
- When should the ear be checked by a doctor?
Medical Video: Your Ears Can Indicate Your Health: Don't Ignore These 8 Factors
The ear is one of the five human senses that functions to hear. Therefore, ear health is very important to maintain. But not infrequently, ear health escapes your attention. If ear health is not maintained, both in terms of cleanliness and in hearing sounds, then one of the ear problems below can happen to you.
Some of the most common ear problems
Some of the medical conditions below can affect the health of your hearing. Your listening ability can decrease until it is lost or deaf because of this ear problem.
1. Otitis media
Otitis media is an infection or inflammation of the middle ear that can occur in children and adults. These ear problems can occur when the mucosa (the upper respiratory part that secretes mucus) becomes swollen due to a cold, respiratory infection, or allergy. In the end, the Eustachian tube will be blocked by fluid buildup.
Adults have a larger Eustachian tube size than children, so they have fewer ear infections. Children are more likely to develop this infection in one or both ears.
If ear infections are not treated immediately, this infection can develop more seriously. Otitis media can cause infection of the mastoid bone behind the ear, the eardrum ruptures, and can cause permanent hearing loss.
2. Tinnitus
Do you like to hear ringing in your ears? Be alert, you may experience tinnitus. Tinnitus occurs when you hear sounds in your ears, such as loud roaring, beats, murmuring, until buzzing. This sound can be heard intermittently or continuously.
Usually tinnitus occurs because of damage to the microscopic ends of the auditory nerve in the inner ear. One of the causes of this damage is due to exposure to very loud sounds for a long time. Usually hearing nerve damage and tinnitus often occur together with your aging age. To prevent these ear problems, it is recommended that you always maintain ear health, including keeping the ears from exposure to loud noises.
3. Swimmer's ear (swimmer's ear)
Swimmer's ear, also known as otitis externa, is an infection of the outer ear caused by the presence of water trapped in the ear canal so that bacteria are trapped there. Water in the ear canal makes the ear environment moist, where bacteria can multiply. In severe conditions, the skin layer in the ear can swell, causing irritation and infection. Besides usually occurring in swimmers, otitis externa can also occur due to water entering the ear while bathing.
4. Stack of earwax
Earwax (earwax) or also commonly known as serumen is a component that is naturally produced by special glands on the outside of the ear. Earwax this is produced by the ear with the aim to trap dust particles or other small particles that enter the ear so as not to enter deeper into the eardrum.
Normally, earwax this will accumulate, dry out, and come out of the ear by itself. However, earwax which accumulates a lot in the ear canal can cause hearing loss. Incorrect cleaning of the ear canal can be one of the reasons for this. Habits of ear cleaning using cotton bud or other small objects can actually push the earwax deeper into the ear. So that there will be accumulation of earwax and cause hearing loss.
When should the ear be checked by a doctor?
Early examination is very important so that the problem does not get worse. For that, you should immediately check your ear to the doctor, if you experience some of the symptoms below:
- The ear hurts
- Ears ringing
- Dizzy
- The ear secretes pus or blood
- Fever and feeling weak
- Have experienced trauma to the neck and head before feeling earache
- Hearing is impaired or worsens gradually
- There is a foreign object in the ear
- Already using ear medication but the symptoms haven't improved or even itchy
