It is common for people to ignore their ear problems like pain, itching, or hearing muffled sounds thinking that they will resolve on their own in a day or two. However, these signs might be an indication of ear problems like ear infections that can transform into serious hearing issues when left untreated for long.
So understanding ear infections and getting their timely treatment is necessary to prevent those permanent problems. That is why we are here! In this article, we will discuss the common signs and symptoms of ear infections in adults and their preventive measures.
Common Signs and Symptoms of Ear Infection in Adults
Here are the most common signs and symptoms of ear infection observed in adults:
- Pain: When your ear develops an infection, you will notice sharp and sudden ear pain. This can also be dull and continuous depending upon the severity and duration of ear infection. This pain occurs as the pus formed in the ear puts pressure on the ear drum.
- Discharge: A discharge is common in middle ear infections in which fluid builds up behind your ear drum. It keeps on pushing the eardrum and this thin flap might rupture at some point. As a result, a thick yellow discharge flows out of the ear followed by sharp pain.
- Muffled Sounds and Feeling of Ear Fullness: Initially, when we develop an ear infection, a sensation of fullness in the ears is felt. It feels like something is putting pressure on our ears and this pressure is actually due to fluid build-up. After that, we start hearing muffled sounds like the voice of anyone talking to us is coming from very far away.
- Dizziness and Vertigo: These symptoms are more common when your inner ear is mainly affected. In addition, infections involving the vestibular nerve can also cause dizziness and vertigo because this nerve is normally involved in maintaining a balance in the body.
- Nausea in Inner Ear Infections: The symptoms of inner ear infections also manifest systemically like nausea or vomiting. These symptoms occur when the ability of our body to regulate perception is compromised and the normal balance is also disturbed.
- Tinnitus (Ringing sounds in the ear): In both middle and inner ear infections, tinnitus may also occur. Tinnitus means hearing of ringing sounds in the ear when, in actuality, these sounds do not exist. This can be due to a change in pressure due to blockage by build-up fluid or damage to the hair cells.
- Swelling and Tenderness Around Affected Area: The development of an infection in the outer ear may cause the surrounding area to be red, swollen, and tender on touching. This swelling is the reaction of your body against the pathogens that enter the ears and cause infection.
- Itching: Itching and irritation in an ear infection increase the discomfort. This also makes it difficult to sleep peacefully at night. However, under all circumstances, you must resist the temptation of itching otherwise the infection can worsen.
- Scaly Skin: Lastly, when the infection persists for a very long time, the skin might become dry and scaly. It is due to the disruption of our normal skin barrier due to inflammation. Another possible reason is scratching the ear due to itching that peels off your skin.
Preventive Measures to Reduce the Risk of Ear Infections
Ear infections can be treated but is not it better to prevent the diseases instead? Some small steps can help you maintain your ear health. Let’s see what those are:
Maintain Good Ear Hygiene
Ear infections are most commonly caused by bad ear hygiene. When our ears are dirty or the ear environment is too moist, the chances of microbial contamination increase. Maintaining good ear hygiene and regular checkups can help in reducing the chances of infection and timely detection of infection.
For safe removal of wax, the BeBird Note5 Pro Ear Wax Camera can prove useful. It is one of Bebird’s latest camera-equipped portable and versatile gadgets that you can use to check your ear health without visiting a professional.
Protect Your Ears From Irritants and Potential Allergens
When the ears are exposed to irritants like dust particles, pollens from flowers, chemicals in skincare products, and other environmental triggers, they become sensitive and irritated. The skin’s protective barrier might also be disrupted.
This gives the opportunistic bacteria a chance to contaminate the ears thus leading to an ear infection. Therefore, if you are aware of any irritant substances harmful to your skin then avoid contact with them and protect your ears to prevent the entry of bacteria into the ears.
Timely Management of Underlying Diseases
Some conditions such as the infection of the upper respiratory tract, nasal congestion, flu, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, etc can also involve your ears because our ears are connected to the upper respiratory tract. So, disturbance in one area can also affect the other.
Additionally, the bacteria can also travel towards the ears through the eustachian tube. As a result, they develop infections and the discomfort increases. Therefore, if you develop any of these, get professional help timely to prevent the involvement of any other structures.
Vaccination and Other Preventive Measures
Lastly, the infections can be prevented by getting vaccinated against the bacteria that cause infections. These vaccinations are mostly injected during childhood.
Other Preventive Measures:
Here are some other little actions that you can do to prevent the development of ear infections:
- Maintain the cleanliness of your surroundings and body because bacteria grow in a dirty environment
- Wearing earbuds for extended periods can increase the risk of infection so let your ears rest after every 4 hours to reduce this risk
- Keep your ears dry, especially after a swimming session or taking a bath because a damp environment favors bacterial growth
Conclusion
Ear infections develop when we do not maintain good hygiene practices. This gives bacteria a chance to invade our ears and cause ear infections. As a result, pain, swelling, tenderness, inflammation, dizziness, and nausea might occur.
There is also a yellowish discharge from the ears. Everyone must know about these minor conditions such as ear infections so that they can timely detect them and get them treated. Keeping yourself updated with such information can help you prevent permanent problems.
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