Humans are able to hear sound in their surroundings thanks to the ear. Hearing abilities are always a thing taken for granted. Some people just blast their ears with very loud music everyday or work in a loud environment without wearing hearing devices. In world medicine, there are cases where the ear problems cause a person to listen poorly or feel discomfort to the ear. One of the symptoms known as otorrhea may be a concern, especially when it persists.
Before we understand more on otorrhea, here is what you should roughly know about the part of the ear that is associated with otorrhea. There are 3 parts of the ear which includes the external part or the outer area, the middle ear or also known as the tympanic cavity and the inner ear which consist of the nerves and receptors for both hearing and balance. What divides the external part of the ear with the middle part is the eardrum (tympanic membrane). In the middle ear, you can find the 2 ossicles or small bones that assist in the hearing process. There is also a canal that connects the middle ear with the area at the back of the nose known as the Eustachian tube.
Otorrhea is known as ear discharge. In other words, it is liquid drainage from the ear canal. In order for the drainage to occur, there must be a connection from the middle ear to the ear canal. The usual connections are from the perforated eardrum or previously placed tube in the ear. Otorrhea may be acute which lasts for 6 weeks or less and can be chronic in which the otorrhea persists more than 6 weeks. Persistent otorrhea is known as ear discharge for more than 6 weeks. Otorrhea can be a sign for an underlying issue or as symptoms. This means that otorrhea can be found by doctors or health professionals as signs and patients may complain of otorrhea as a symptom that they experienced.
Acute otorrhea as it typically resulted from acute otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear) or otitis externa (inflammation of the external ear canal). It could also be from complications after a tympanostomy procedure (surgical procedure if making slit in the eardrum to drain fluid from the middle ear). Chronic otorrhea is usually caused by the chronic suppurative otitis media but may also be caused by cholesteatoma (abnormal collection of skin cells or cyst trapped deep inside the ear), presence of foreign object in the ear, immunodeficiency or neoplasm. Chronic suppurative otitis media is a condition that describes the persistent draining from a perforated eardrum, typically preceded by an ongoing infection in the middle ear. It is common in children as they are at higher risk for the condition due to the deficiency of the Eustachian tube function.
Persistent otorrhea can be a dangerous condition as it can interfere with the ear function to the extent of causing deafness. It may also lead to infection affecting the brain aside from the inner ear. All of these problems can be a great hindrance to a child as it can affect their performance in school and also their childhood. Thus, the best way to prevent persistent otorrhea is to get checked by a doctor whenever there is discharge from the ear. When a person feels their hearing abilities decrease or feeling fullness in the ear, this should be addressed to the doctor.
In children, it can be difficult to know if the child is experiencing ear problems. Hence, parents need to play an active role in observing their child and identify signs whenever their child is affected by ear problems. Remember, a child may not be old enough to say their ear hurts. Hence, signs such as a child pulling the ear, tugging ear, crying for no apparent reasons, having trouble sleeping, problems with balance, trouble responding to quiet sounds and fever, are among signs that the ear is probably affected by an ear disease.
Persistent otorrhea can be treated based on the cause leading to the condition. Initially, patients are given ototopical agents such as antibiotics and provided with an aural toilet. Aural toilet describes the procedure of manually cleaning the ear with varying techniques such as dry mopping, suction clearance or irrigation. Generally, persistent otorrhea is treated with antibiotics unless there is presence of cholesteatoma. For the prevention of complications, surgery may be necessary.
It can be concluded that otorrhea is ear drainage that can be a sign and symptom. Otorrhea can be caused by many causes and affect both children and adults. It is important to treat otorrhea to ensure that there are no serious medical conditions underlying it. The best way to understand how to ensure the ear are in good shape is to get regular check-ups and to get doctor assistance whenever a person feels something is off with their ear.
