ENT conditions (Mr Gaurav Kumar)

What is nose bleed or epistaxis? Inside of the nose is lined by mucosa which is very rich in blood vessels. One of the main functions of the nose is to humidify the air we breathe in and out.  Humidication is naturally achieved by mucous cells lining the nose. Blood vessels can become weak due to dryness, high pressure behind the vessels or hormonal changes. What are different kinds of nose bleeds? In simple terms, one can have an anterior nose bleed or posterior nose bleed. Anterior nose bleed is when most of the blood comes out through the nostril and some you spit out. Posterior nose bleed is when you spit most of the blood and little comes out through nostril. Why do children have nose bleeds? It is very common for children between 2 to 10 to have nose bleeds. Dry weather during summers and dry air indoors during winters due to heating tends to dry nasal mucosa. Dry nasal mucosa, in turns, makes it itchy for children to rub their nose and lead to...

Are labyrinthitis and vertigo the same? The ear has three main parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, with small bones of hearing, and the inner ear, consisting of the labyrinth. The labyrinth has two parts as well, hearing processing part and balance part. When you get an infection in the inner ear, it is often called labyrinthitis. Common symptoms for Labyrinthitis are hearing loss or vertigo, however, there are also other causes for vertigo as well. What is the most important thing to remember when you have labyrinthitis symptoms? In the first few hours of symptoms, it is difficult to know between stroke and labyrinthitis. If you have vertigo and notice one side of your face becoming droopy, your arms or leg become weak and speech becomes slurred, you should call for urgent help. What is the difference between labyrinthitis and vestibular neuritis? If you only have vertigo symptoms, then it is due to vestibular neuritis. Vestibular neuritis oc...

Ear drops are frequently prescribed to combat an ear infection. Ear drops help antibiotics reach the site of infection — helpful tips to remember when using ear drops. Always clean your hands before touching the bottle. Do not use the same bottle for both ears if you have an infection in both ears.  Do not share your ear drops with others, and this is to prevent cross-infection, and the infection in their ear might not be the same. Let the ear drops trickle into the ear canal to get a good response. Store the ear drops as directed on the label and discard the bottle after finishing the course. How to instil ear drops? It is always better to ask someone else to instil ear drops for you. Clean your ear canal with gently mopping with an earbud. Do not rub with earbud as inflamed ear canal can get more damaged. Now lie on your side with your infected ear facing up. Now your helper can gently pull your ear back and up to open ear canal. Now instil the prescribed...

What is tongue-tie or ankyloglossia? Tongue-tie is a condition present in 5%-10% of newborn babies at birth. In this, a band of tissue called frenulum is shorter than usual. This leads to in some babies tip of the tongue is more attached to the floor of the mouth. When is tongue-tie a problem? When a baby is breastfeeding he or she has to catch on to the nipple and cover the gums to avoid trauma to the nipple. If a baby has tongue-tie, it may take longer to feed, leaving them hungry and unsettled. This can also lead to sore nipples. Is tongue-tie hereditary? Tongue-tie can run in families and is more common in boys. Do we need to treat all tongue-tie? Not all tongue tie cases need treatment — most of the babies' tongue-tie stretch with time. In babies, if there are feeding and breastfeeding problem, leading to growth delay, surgery may be required. In younger babies, it can be done with or without local anaesthesia. In older children, it can lead to speech ...

How to diagnose allergic rhinitis? Rhinitis or runny nose can be due to several factors. Allergic rhinitis is inflammation of the lining of the nose in response allergen around you in your environment. This allergen can be pollen, mould, dust or in your diet. Typically, if you have an itchy and runny nose, sneezing with a blocked nose, this can be due to allergic rhinitis.  How is a diagnosis made for allergic rhinitis? When you go and see your doctor. He will ask you about your symptoms, severity, and how they are impacting your quality of life. If the cause for your allergic rhinitis symptoms is unclear, then special allergy skin prick test or allergy blood test may be requested. Why are special allergy test required? In some cases of allergic rhinitis, it is not clear what is your trigger factor for your symptoms. So, by these tests, treating clinician can advise about lifestyle changes, medications and allergy avoidance. How is the allergy test performe...

Can a deviated septum cause sinus infections? Sinuses are air-filled, generally empty, spaces around the nasal cavity. These sinuses drain into the nasal cavity through small doors. Our nasal cavity is divided into right and left by the nasal septum. If you have deviated nasal septum, then it can block the drainage pathway of the nasal sinuses. High deviations can block the airway and hence recurrent sinusitis. Septoplasty can correct this deviation and help opening up drainage pathways along with balloon sinuplasty or endoscopic sinus surgery.  Can deviated nasal septum cause high blood pressure or a heart problem? Deviated nasal septum in anterior part can obstruct the airflow and can cause sleep apnoea symptoms. Some recent studies show a correlation between better control of high blood pressure with medication after septoplasty.  Can deviated nasal septum cause sleep apnea? Sleep apnea can be due to obstruction at different levels of your airway...

What to look for when you have a broken nose? The nose is made of two parts solid nasal bones in upper third and lower two third of cartilage. Trauma to the nose due to a road traffic accident, fall, contact sports, or fight can cause fracture of the nasal bone. What symptoms to look for when you have a broken nose? Swelling of the nose- swelling and bruising on the nose should settle down in 3-5 days. If the swelling stays longer than this seek advice from the doctor. Bruising under the eyes will settle in a week. If there is a blurring of vision, you need to attend A&E. Nose bleed and or clear discharge from the nose - Trauma to face can cause a nose bleed. If the nose bleed does not stop by using an ice pack on the forehead or you have a clear watery discharge from the nose, then you should attend A&E. These could be a sign of head injury. Difficulty in breathing through the nose can be due to swelling inside the nose or blood collection under the lining...

Why is it essential to identify Sudden hearing loss? Treatment of sudden hearing loss due to inner ear infection is a medical emergency. Sudden hearing loss could be due to simple cause due to wax in the ear canal or inner ear infection. If the treatment of inner ear infection is delayed by more than 7days, it can lead to permanent hearing loss. 10-20 people every 100,000 per year can get sudden sensorineural hearing loss.   How do I know that it is a sudden sensorineural hearing loss? It is straightforward to test by humming test. If you suspect your hearing is down in one ear. Humming "aa" and "ee" can help. If you hear, sound louder in the ear you feel deaf then the chances are you have conductive hearing loss due to wax or glue ear. If the sound is louder in the better ear, then chances are you have sensorineural hearing loss, and you need to see a doctor urgently. Example, you had flu for a few days, and suddenly you feel that hearing is ...

Why do my ears hurt whilst flying? Our ear has three parts- the external ear, middle ear and inner ear. The external ear and middle ear are separated by the eardrum. Usually, the pressure on both sides of the drum is equal, helped by the opening and closing of the Eustachian tube. Pressure changes in the cabin of an aeroplane during climbing and landing. Middle ear pressure becomes negative, especially when landing.  When negative pressure pulls on the eardrum, it can become painful. What are other names of Barotrauma? Barotrauma is also known as Barotitis media or aerotitis media. What other symptoms can suggest Barotrauma? The most common symptom is a painful ear. This can be associated with decreased hearing, tinnitus and mild vertigo. In some cases, if associated with severe dizziness, severe deafness and bleeding from the ear due to eardrum perforation, you need to see an Ear Nose Throat Consultant immediately. Who are at increased risk of the painful ear whe...

When should I get worried about my change in voice? Change in voice can be due to so many causes. It can be due to simple things like acid reflux, chronic cough, flu, post nasal drip leading to frequent throat clearing or due to cancer on the voice box.  "IF YOU HAVE CHANGE IN VOICE WHICH IS GETTING WORSE FOR MORE THAN 3 WEEKS, YOU NEED TO SEE AN ENT SURGEON." Other symptoms which can be present with a change in voice in cases of laryngeal cancer be weight loss when you are not dieting, a lump in the throat, earache, shortness of breath, throat pain. How does the ENT surgeon diagnose what is causing my hoarseness? Change is voice can be due to both non-cancer and cancerous reasons. On a visit to ENT voice specialist, he or she will take a full detailed history, access how your profession is affecting your voice and how voice change is affecting your job. After recording your quality of sound, an endoscope (a thin tube with a camera attached) is used to ...