Taking care of every part of your body is essential to ensure that you protect your general health. But one area of the body often forgotten about is your ears. While you may schedule hearing tests every once in a while, you may not think too much about your ear health beyond this. With this in mind, it is helpful to be aware of the most common diseases of the ear and how you can prevent them from developing. Paying attention to your ear health is vital to avoid future hearing problems, so it is well worth being on the lookout for potential ear health issues.

Here are some of the most common diseases that can affect the ear:

Patulous Eustachian Tube Dysfunction

Patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction is a very common ear condition. This ear disease is caused by a valve in your Eustachian tube that stays open. The valve needs to close to protect the middle ear from disease, equalize pressure, and drain secretions.

Symptoms and Treatment

If you have Patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction, you may experience the following symptoms:

Ears feel full
You can hear your own voice loudly in your head when you speak
You can hear yourself breathing loudly
The sound of your heart beating sounds like it is echoing in your head

If your ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor diagnoses you with Patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction, they may recommend using the Acclarent AERA Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation System. This treatment is designed to restore your normal Eustachian tube function.

Swimmers’ Ear

Otitis externa is more commonly known as swimmer’s ear. Despite its name, swimmer’s ear does not just affect swimmers. This condition is caused by water that enters your ear, passing down the ear canal and traveling to the space between your eardrum and outer ear, where it can cause a bacterial infection. This condition is often experienced by children and teenagers, and the water can enter the ear when taking a shower or swimming.

Symptoms and Treatment

If you have swimmer’s ear, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

Sound of ringing in one ear after taking a shower
Reduction in ability to hear
Itchy feeling in the ear canal
Onset of feeling dizzy

If you feel concerned that you may have developed swimmer’s ear, you may want to schedule a consultation with your ENT doctor to get a definite diagnosis. Your ear doctor will be able to examine your ear and will discuss your symptoms with you. If you do need swimmer’s ear treatment and the condition has become infected, your doctor will prescribe you antibiotics to clear the infection.

Middle Ear Infections

Statistics show that ear infections are the most common reason that parents take their young children to see the doctor. Three in every four children will experience at least one ear infection at some time before their third birthday. So, ear infections are really common among kids.

Ear infections are called otitis media, and they usually affect the middle ear. Ear infections are often caused by a buildup of mucus and fluid in the tubes inside the ears.

Symptoms and Treatment

The symptoms of an ear infection vary, but symptoms to look out for include the following:

Balance issues
Trouble hearing
Feeling of pressure within the ear
Itchiness around the ear
Raised temperature
Discharge coming from the ear

If you think that you may have the symptoms of an ear infection, it is worthwhile getting it checked out to get it confirmed. Some ear infections clear up without treatment, but this is not the case for everyone. Scheduling a visit to the ear doctor to have your ear examined will detect whether you have an infection and if it requires antibiotics.

Schedule an ENT Consultation

As you can see, there are a few main issues that can impact the health of your ears. Being aware of these conditions and their symptoms is an excellent way to deal with them quickly if they do occur.

Getting your hearing checked regularly is vital to protect it, especially as you get older. So, scheduling regular hearing tests is advisable. But in addition to hearing checks, you also need to protect the general health of your ears. If you notice any changes in your ears or your hearing, arranging to get it checked by your ENT doctor is crucial.

Learn more about ENT Physicians Inc. and how we can help take care of all your ear, nose and throat needs. Call our friendly team today at (419) 318-4987 to schedule your consultation.