Ear diseases: symptoms that call to the doctor

The human ear has a complex device. Moreover: organs that we are accustomed to perceive simply as "acoustic apparatus" are of great importance for maintaining the balance of the body, for the ability to navigate in space and, in general, help us to interact with the world around us.

Therefore, when there is a problem with any part of this system, ear symptoms can go far beyond pain or hearing loss.

• Ear Diseases: Where Can Problems Come From
• Symptoms of ear disease: what what to look for
• Disorders of the outer ear
• Middle Ear Diseases
• Disorders of the inner ear

Ear Diseases: Where Can Problems Come From

First of all, you need to superficially imagine the structure of the ear. To understand the full range of symptoms that otolaryngological diseases can manifest themselves in, it is enough to know that the ear is divided into three parts: external, middle and internal.

Follow us on Instagram

Outer ear — this is its outer part (the auricle), which "collects together" acoustic signals and auditory canal, through which they are transmitted to the middle ear. There is an elastic membrane (tympanic membrane) that transmits these waves to hammer, stirrup and anvil — miniature bones. And already they send signals to the inner ear — a complex system of channels in which acoustic waves are transformed into nerve impulses that enter a special analyzer, which returns them to us in the form of recognizable distinct sounds. Here, in the inner ear, there is a part of the vestibular apparatus — a system that constantly analyzes the position of the body in space and "suggests" brain what exactly needs to be corrected so that the body does not lose stability.

Symptoms of ear disease: what what to look for

Given all of the above, one can understand why, for convenience, it is necessary to distribute the symptoms of ear diseases according to which part of the ear the pathology has developed.

Read also: Stuffed up ear: what to do and why it happens

Disorders of the outer ear

The outer ear most often suffers from environmental factors: very high or low temperatures, dust, mechanical irritation, infectious agents present in water and air. Also, the outer ear often reacts with various symptoms to metabolic disorders (in particular, in diabetes mellitus), allergies.

Itching in the ear or in the ear canal
Appearance of a rash
Scaly, weeping areas and/or crusts appear on the skin of the ear canal or ear shell
There is pain in the ear, which increases with any movement of the jaw
Middle ear diseases

The middle ear communicates not only with the external auditory meatus, but and with nasopharynx (via the Eustachian tube). Therefore, often diseases of the middle ear often develop when the infection enters the middle ear from the nasal cavity. In addition, inflammation, infection or perforation of the tympanic membrane with subsequent complication of the sound-conducting bones may be the result of injury due to improper ear hygiene.

Contact a doctor if you experience even one of the following symptoms:

Pulsation in affected ear, which is felt most distinctly when lying down.
Autophony — sounds of one's own voice echo or are louder in the affected ear than in the healthy ear.
Congestion in affected ear.
Severe pain in the ear, which often cannot be treated with pain medication.
Discharge from affected ear (clear and watery or thick and purulent).
Increased body temperature.
Reduction of hearing acuity on the affected side.

Read also: 

Determining the state of health by the shape and color of the auricle Disorders of the inner ear

Since the inner ear also functions as a vestibular apparatus, its diseases are often accompanied by symptoms that are not similar to signs of ear disease:

Feeling dizzy.
Episodes of "floating soil" underfoot.
Difficulty maintaining balance (especially at moment of body change —for example, when trying to sit down from lying position).
Nausea with no other signs of digestive problems.
Noise, whistling, ringing in the ears, audible only to the patient.

Follow us on Telegram If you experience any of the symptoms listed, you should contact your doctor. It is important to remember that all parts of the ear — parts of a single system, and if left untreated, the disease easily spreads from one area to another. In addition, if symptoms are ignored for a long time, pathological changes become irreversible — instead of a 10-14 day course of medical treatment, one has to resort to complex surgery to restore hearing or prosthetics with the help of a cochlear implant or hearing aid.

So don't slow — your health is in your hands.

Read also: 

How to find a good doctor: working recommendations

You may be interested: Just 3 minutes a day for a perfect face. Gymnastics is suitable for everyone and does not take much time.