Educating Ourselves With Otitis Media With Effusion And How To Prevent It
Otitis Media with Effusion is a non-purulent effusion involving the middle ear that could either be mucoid or serous. This condition normally occurs in children and rarely in adults. The term Effusion also means fluids. The inside of our ears are connected to the back of the throat with the Eustachian Tube. This helps in the removal of fluids that could prevent building up in the ear. The fluids found in that area are supposed to be drained.
With Otitis Media effusion, a person could feel some hearing loss or aural fullness though pain and fever are usually absent in this case. This condition could also happen to children but the hearing loss problem is generally mild and could only be detected using audiogram.
The serous type of Otitis Media with Effusion is specifically caused by transudate formation because of a rapid decrease in the pressure in the middle ear relative to the atmospheric pressure. The fluid for this type of Otitis Media is watery and clear.
Otitis Media with Effusion or OME is the result from having Acute Otitis Media, the most common type of infection found in the middle ear. Acute Otitis Media results from having high amount of fluids in the ear. When you have this condition, you will usually see redness of the eardrum and would feel light fever and some pain.
Signs and Symptoms – Otitis Media with Effusion
Otitis Media with Effusion appears to be asymptomatic. However, there could be several symptoms that are basically associated with this condition. Mild loss of hearing is a possible condition which could mean that there are trapped fluids in the middle ear.
Otitis Media often happens during winter because of higher vulnerability to infections of the upper respiratory like having colds.
Treatment
Since Otitis Media is caused by development of fluids in the middle ear, one treatment option that the person can go for is by allowing the fluid to evaporate on its own without any intervention. However, if after your doctor inspects your ear and will see that the healing could take longer than usual or the effusion is severe, a prescription may be necessary such as antibiotics.
A hearing test could also be done by the audiologist to check if there is still Otitis Media with Effusion. For severe cases such as those having this condition for more than 4 months, a tube placement surgery may take place already.
Prevention is better than cure. You wouldn’t be in a bad situation if you could have prevented it from happening in the first place. Avoid exposing your ear to infection-causing things such as toys. Make sure that you wash your hands properly. For those with upper respiratory tract infections, it is also possible that you could spread and pass it on to the ear.
Avoid airborne allergens. It will not only infect your ear but it could also cause respiratory problems. Keep your immune system strong with a balanced diet. Take plenty of rest and make sure that you are not having problems with your Eustachian Tube.