ENT conditions (Mr Gaurav Kumar)

  Otitis Externa and Otinova: A Practical, No-Nonsense Guide If your ear suddenly feels itchy, sore, blocked, or painful after swimming or showering, you may be dealing with otitis externa —often called “swimmer’s ear.” The good news: most cases are very treatable with the right early steps. This guide explains what otitis externa is, why it happens, where Otinova fits in, and when to escalate quickly. What is otitis externa? Otitis externa is inflammation (and sometimes infection) of the skin lining the external ear canal. It commonly presents with: Ear pain (often worse when touching or pulling the outer ear) Itching Fullness/blockage Reduced hearing from swelling/debris Sometimes watery discharge Otinova’s own instruction documents describe it as treatment for ear canal inflammation/eczema (swimmer’s ear). Why does it happen? The ear canal is protected by a mildly acidic environment and a skin barrier. Otitis externa tends to flare ...

  Parenting Tips for Effectively Managing Glue Ear in Children     Glue ear, also known as otitis media with effusion, is a common condition among children where fluid builds up in the middle ear. It can lead to hearing difficulties and other related issues. As a parent, it's important to understand how to manage glue ear effectively to support your child's well-being. In this article, we will provide you with some valuable parenting tips to help you navigate this condition.   1.        Recognize the Signs and Symptoms: Be aware of the signs that your child may be experiencing glue ear. These can include hearing difficulties, speech delays, frequent ear infections, balance problems, and irritability. If you suspect glue ear, consult a healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis.   2.        Communication and Support: Maintain open and honest communication with your child about their hearing difficul...

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...

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 ...

What is myringoplasty or tympanoplasty? If you have perforated eardrum or hole in the eardrum, then your surgeon may recommend ear surgery to close this hole and in some cases to help repair the hearing. Why do we have eardrum? The eardrum separates the ear canal from the middle ear. The sound hits the middle ear and is then transferred to the inner ear where the sound is converted to an electrical signal and taken to the brain to interpret. Our eardrum is very similar to speakers with the magnet in the centre and paper around the magnet. If there is tear in the paper, the sound dampens down. So mainly eardrum perforation can lead to an ear infection as now bacteria can reach easily into the middle ear and hearing loss as now the sound transmission is interrupted. Why do I have a hole in my ear drum? Hole in the eardrum can be due to trauma due to earbud injury or barotrauma while landing on an aeroplane. If someone has grommet or ventilation tube inserted, this...

What is a Cholesteatoma? The ear has three parts outer ear (ear lobe and ear canal), the middle ear ( eardrum and bones of hearing) and inner ear. Cholesteatoma is skin from ear canal migrating into the middle ear. Like the skin on head keeps shedding and can cause dandruff. Similarly, skin in the middle ear can cause cholesteatoma, which can form a gradually expanding sac and can damage structures in the middle ear to give deafness, inner ear to give permanent deafness, nerve to the face to give a facial weakness or rarely give infection of the lining of the brain to cause meningitis Is cholesteatoma surgery or mastoidectomy done under general anaesthetic? Cholesteatoma is a surgical problem. Unfortunately, no medications work on it. Cholesteatoma surgery is called mastoidectomy, i.e. clearing cholesteatoma infection from the mastoid bone (the hard bone behind your ear). The procedure is done under general, i.e. you will be sleeping while the procedure is don...

Why does glue ear happen? The ear has three main parts ear canal, the middle ear where small bones of hearing sit and the inner ear which has nerves to send the signal to the brain. The middle ear is connected to the back of the nose with a tube called the Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tube can get blocked with adenoids, allergy or sometimes due to tube dysfunction. The Eustachian tube can also dysfunction in children with a cleft palate or a genetic condition such as downs syndrome. All this can lead to a collection of thick fluid in the middle ear, and this is called glue ear. Glue ear in babies? Babies have smaller and straighter eustachian tube making them more vulnerable to glue ears. The good news is this is intermittent most of the time. Breastfeeding in a sitting position helps and also passes on natural immunity from mother to children. Evidence show children growing up in a smoky environment tend to get more frequent glue ear. Children who have an allergy to...