Ear congestion is a subjective discomfort in the form of a feeling of pressure in the ear, "fullness" of the ear canal, hearing loss. The symptom is observed with pressure drops, inflammatory diseases of the auditory analyzer and nasopharynx, taking certain medications. To determine the cause of congestion, otoscopy, audiometry, X-ray examination of the bones of the skull, laboratory tests, and the patency of the Eustachian tube are assessed. Medications are prescribed only after determining the disease that has disrupted the functioning of the hearing organ.
With stuffy ear, patients note a feeling of discomfort, fullness in the external auditory canal, hearing loss, accompanied by a constant hum or ringing. Some people compare the sensation to filling the ear canal with water. With short-term physiological congestion, bilateral symptoms are more often detected, inflammation and other pathological causes can cause unilateral manifestations. Congestion can persist from a few minutes to several weeks.
Patients often notice a connection of discomfort in the ear with acute bacterial or viral infections, injuries of the auricle or head in the temporal region. If congestion bothers you constantly or occurs periodically for several days, this is an indication for a visit to a specialist. It is also necessary to visit a doctor when the symptom is combined with other manifestations - headaches or soreness in the ear canal, dizziness, fever.
Congestion in both ears is a typical symptom that most people experience during air travel. Unpleasant sensations are associated with the difference in pressure inside the middle ear and outside. A person feels pressure on the eardrums, which is accompanied by hearing loss, noise or ringing in the ears. The same symptoms are observed when jumping into the water and quickly diving to great depths (swimmer's ear). Usually, discomfort disappears after pressure equalization, if congestion persists for a long time, you should visit a doctor.
The most common causes of congestion are inflammatory processes of bacterial or viral etiology. Patients feel pressure in the ear, which is combined with unilateral hearing loss and increased perception of their own voice (autophony). The symptom is constantly disturbing, sometimes an unpleasant feeling in the area of the external auditory canal causes intense headaches. With external otitis, there is a sharp pain when pressing on the auricle, purulent or serous discharge from the ear canal is possible.
Severe ear congestion occurs with inflammation in the tympanic cavity - otitis media. Patients complain of a feeling of fullness and pressure, hearing on the affected side is sharply reduced. In addition to the blocked ear, the patient is worried about sharp pains in the temples. Pathological discharge is uncharacteristic. When the process is running, congestion often turns into temporary hearing loss, which is associated with damage to the eardrum. Self-medication of otitis is fraught with neurological complications, so you should seek medical help as soon as possible.
Normally, the Eustachian (auditory) tube provides communication between the oropharynx and the middle ear cavity, which is necessary to equalize external and internal pressure. Some causes provoke swelling and closure of the lumen of the organ, while patients feel congestion, fullness and discomfort. In inflammatory processes, the lesion is more often bilateral. Depending on the etiological factor, eustachitis is accompanied by a runny nose, sore throat, headache, fever. Closure of the lumen of the auditory tube is caused by:
With the accumulation of sulfur in the external ear canal, congestion develops gradually. At first, the feeling of discomfort and the sensation of a foreign body in the ear worries, then hearing progressively deteriorates on the side of the lesion. Patients note constant bursting and pressure in the ear canal. Some patients, in order to eliminate unpleasant sensations, try to rinse their ears on their own, which causes a deterioration in the condition, because upon contact with water, the sulfur plug swells and completely closes the lumen of the external ear canal.
Ear congestion, which is combined with severe dizziness, can be caused by labyrinthitis. Patients associate the onset of discomfort in the ear canal with a viral or bacterial infection, or a head injury. With moderate severity of the disease, pressure and ringing in the ears occur periodically, as the condition worsens, the symptoms become permanent. Against the background of congestion, hearing loss progresses. Characterized by complaints of balance disorders, staggering when walking, nausea and vomiting, which are caused by damage to the vestibular apparatus.
Most often, pressure and discomfort in the outer ear occur after taking drugs to treat bacterial infections for 2 weeks or more. Along with congestion, patients note progressive unilateral or bilateral hearing loss. After the cessation of the cause, unpleasant manifestations may disappear on their own, but with damage to the neurosensory cells responsible for the perception and recognition of sounds, persistent hearing loss is observed. An unpleasant feeling of pressure and fullness in the ear is provoked by:
Ear congestion is an indication for a visit to an otolaryngologist, who conducts a complete examination of the auditory analyzer in order to establish the cause of unpleasant symptoms. Laboratory and instrumental studies are aimed at studying the degree of hearing impairment and morphofunctional changes in various parts of the ear. The following have the greatest diagnostic value:
Dopplerography and rheoencephalography are recommended for suspected vascular disorders in the organ of hearing. The presence of neurological symptoms is the basis for a CT scan of the skull, MRI of the head, electroencephalography. If an allergic nature of the disorder is suspected, allergy tests are performed. Patients are also referred for a comprehensive examination to a neurologist, for consultations of other specialists.
Otoscopy for ear congestion
Ear congestion that occurs when the pressure changes can be eliminated on your own - for this you need to make several swallowing movements, blow your nose. To open the lumen of the Eustachian tube, you need to close your nose and try to make an intense exhalation. If discomfort is caused by a runny nose, it is recommended to drip vasoconstrictor nasal drops into the nostril on the side where congestion is felt, then lie on your side. To identify the cause of discomfort in the ear and select a treatment regimen, you should contact a specialist.
Therapeutic measures for a stuffy ear are primarily aimed at eliminating the cause of the symptom. To increase the effectiveness of therapy, several drugs are combined that affect different parts of the mechanism for the development of the disorder. Etiotropic and pathogenetic therapy involves the use of the following groups of drugs:
As a rule, physiotherapy techniques are included in the treatment plan for congestion and other unpleasant symptoms from the organ of hearing. Effective blowing of the auditory tube according to Politzer, aimed at improving the outflow of exudate from the tympanic cavity, reducing discomfort in the patient. To stimulate blood circulation and reparative processes, pneumomassage of the tympanic membrane is performed. Comprehensive treatment involves the use of UHF, laser exposure, microwave therapy.
In some situations, effective therapy for ear congestion is possible only after prompt elimination of the cause. With massive purulent otitis, draining operations are indicated that facilitate the outflow of pus and accelerate the recovery period. With significant growths of the adenoids, a tonsillectomy is performed. According to indications, correction of pathologies of the nasopharynx is prescribed - septoplasty, removal of polyps, other benign tumors, conchotomy in hypertrophic rhinitis. In some cases, reconstructive interventions on the inner and middle ear are required.