Seborrheic otitis media in adults: Causes, symptoms and treatment

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor Ear, Nose Throat Doctor - Department of Medical Examination and Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International Hospital

Otitis media with fluid, also known as closed eardrum otitis. This is an inflammatory condition, the appearance of mucus in the ear canal but not caused by bacteria, if left untreated for a long time, it is easy to thicken the eardrum and the most serious complication is hearing loss.
The disease can be encountered with otitis media with seroma on one side in adults or sometimes in both ears. The disease occurs at any age, but is more common in children than adults.

The causes of the disease include:
Nasopharyngeal pathologies such as: VA, rhinosinusitis, allergic rhinitis or sometimes benign or malignant tumors in the nasopharynx. A number of factors contribute to the disease such as enlarged VA, congenital cysts or fibroids in the nasopharyngeal region ... causing compression and mechanical blockage of the tympanic tube. Eustachian tube dysfunction leads to functional tubal occlusion. Inflammation causes edema of the mucosa. Upper respiratory tract infections, allergic phenomena and cilia dysfunction, primary or secondary respiratory abnormalities. Factors that cause sudden changes in pressure such as when traveling by plane, when diving deep...

Usually, the symptoms of the disease are poor and nonspecific, signs may include:
Change in sensation in the ears, possibly tinnitus, feeling of heaviness in the ears, sometimes hearing heard strange sounds like echoes in his head and in his ears. Hearing loss, hearing loss. Symptoms suggestive of accompanying diseases such as: stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing... Otolaryngoscopy often shows images such as a healthy, unperforated eardrum; light cones are narrowed or lost; most especially, the eardrum can change color, become thicker than usual, opaque, sometimes with a metallic yellow color; Other changes include: the eardrum is enlarged due to fluid retention or indented by fibrous adhesions, and sometimes does not move when pressure is applied to the eardrum.
Find the cause of elegant otitis media by meticulous examination of the nasopharynx to find causes such as: VA overgrowth, tonsillitis, nasopharyngeal tumors, nasal polyps or nasal septum abnormalities..
Audiometry or tympanometry helps determine the condition of the ear canal and the patient's ability to hear

Adult serous otitis media, if not detected and treated in time, will lead to the eardrum shrinking, concave, sticking to form a retractor bag, making the hearing ability increasingly reduced. Besides, pouch tugging on the tympanic membrane is a favorable factor causing otitis media, more dangerous than otitis media with Cholesteatoma, this is a disease that easily causes extremely dangerous intracranial complications such as meningitis. brain abscess.

The main aim of treatment is to restore the normal function of the ear canal, reduce inflammation, limit complications, and treat the cause of the disease to avoid recurrence. Treatment includes either medication or surgery.
Regarding internal treatment, the doctor can give antibiotics to prevent ENT infections secondary to otitis media caused by serous otitis media, and anti-inflammatory drugs with corticosteroids. In addition, the symptoms of mucus secretion can be reduced with H1 antihistamines.
Regarding surgical treatment, the doctor can puncture the eardrum if there is a lot of fluid inside the ear cavity, when the eardrum is inflated or when the eardrum is concave and sticky, a ventilation tube will be placed into the tympanic cavity. Finding and treating causes such as VA curettage, tonsillitis excision, septum and nasal turbinate or surgical removal of nasopharyngeal tumors.
Currently, there is a more modern method being applied, the German CS Tympanic Repair Technique, which is a microsurgical technique that helps determine the depth of the ear and find hidden lesions. The outstanding advantage of CS tympanic membrane repair technique is that the incision is small, the treatment time is short, the bleeding is small, the appearance is not affected, and the recovery speed is fast. At the same time, the disease recurrence rate is less than that of traditional cures, high efficiency, safety and reliability.

The most important thing in treatment is still timely detecting the disease and going to an ENT specialist for advice on specific and appropriate treatment methods.
Regularly clean your nose and throat by rinsing your nose and gargling. When there are clinical symptoms such as stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing, ringing in the ears... you need to go to a medical facility for timely treatment.
Vinmec International General Hospital is the address for examination, treatment and prevention of diseases, including specialized treatment of diseases of the ear, nose and throat. Accordingly, the treatment of ENT diseases at Vinmec is carried out according to the correct medical procedures and protocols under the guidance and advice of well-trained, well-trained doctors both at home and abroad. . Not stopping there, when customers use Vinmec's services, they will be warmly welcomed and use modern facilities and machinery along with perfect medical services, bringing many benefits to customers. convenience as well as optimal treatment results.