Deafness and otitis: 2 common diseases of ear

Otitis, deafness and dizziness are the most common diseases of the ears. You can read the article published on vertigo that I link. Today I will try deafness, the 3rd most common problem of the elderly and otitis, a disease that occurs most often in children.

Deafness, a common disease in the elderly

Presbycusis or deafness of the elderly is the 3rd most common problem of the elderly after osteoarthritis and cardiovascular problems. They suffer 30% of the elderly. In Spain the figure is higher than the 1,000,000 deaf people.

Deafness is decreased hearing linked to aging and is due to a system deficit of brain integration, otosclerosis of the ossicles of the middle ear, senile dementia or cerebrovascular disease, acute trauma from exposure to noise continuously and toxic ear medicines.

Symptoms of deafness

Its symptoms are hearing loss for high-pitched sounds and something serious, deafness and social isolation due to communication difficulties.

People who are deaf, have difficulty understanding in noisy environments, very quick conversations and dulling of the location of the sound source in noisy environments. They are isolated and depressed.

Classification of hearing loss
Transmission Deafness

Prevents proper transmission of sound through the outer and middle ear.

Congenital malformations of the external or middle ear: no eardrum, ossicles, ear.
Infection or inflammation of the ear canal.
Infection or inflammation of the middle ear canal: timpanitis, otitis, diseases of the ossicles.

Deafness of perception

It is caused by the inability of nerve to transmit sound from the ear to the brain pathways.

Alterations of neuro-sensory organ of Corti and the auditory nerve receptors.

Hearing impairment

Mild: threshold decibels from 20 to 40.
Media: threshold between 40 and 70 decibels.
Severa: threshold between 70 and 90 decibels.
Deep: 90 decibels above the threshold.

Diagnosis and treatment of deafness

Deafness is diagnosed with an otoscope, audiometry and speech audiometry.

Its preventive measures are based on:

Reduce noisy environments and control the music volume.
Physical exercise.
Do not ingest harmful ear medicines.
Do not consume snuff or alcohol.

Diet to prevent deafness

It is based on consumption of foods rich in:

Vitamin A: spinach, carrot, watercress, pumpkin, borage, oranges, etc.
Vitamin B1: beans, peas, meat, dairy, cereals, legumes and some nuts.
Potassium: bananas, melons, oranges, spinach, tomato, avocado, vegetables, meats and dairy products.
Magnesium: milk, whole grains, legumes, nuts and some vegetables.
Zinc: some seafood, shrimp, nuts, milk, whole grain bread and lean meats.

Deafness is solved by using headphones. Other treatments include the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics to treat ear infections and surgery in some pathologies such as congenital, perforated eardrum, drainage of pus, etc.

Otitis, a common disease in children

Otitis is an inflammation of the ear that occurs frequently in young children and is the most frequent cause of consultation with the otolaryngologist.

Otitis media is an inflammation of the lining of the middle ear area bounded by the tympanic cavity that is separated from the outer ear by the tympanic membrane, also it contains the ossicles as the hammer, anvil and stirrup whose main function it is transmitting sound.

Classification of otitis

Otitis media can be classified into acute and chronic.

Acute otitis last less than 3 weeks and are due to catarrhal infections, influenza, staphylococcus, streptococcus, etc.

Chronic otitis last 12 weeks.
Causes of otitis

The causes are allergic processes, colds and sinus infections, excess saliva, infection or anatomical alteration of the tonsils or adenoids, irritants such as smoke and snuff.

According to the liquid that colonizes the middle ear, they are classified as serous as if it were water, mucus or purulent mucus pus mode.

Symptoms of otitis

Symptoms include severe pain that disappears when the eardrum, fever, vomiting, irritability, and if the eardrum is perforated, drilled an oozing on the outer ear.

Diagnosis and treatment of otitis

Otitis are diagnosed with otoscopy, which is the display inflamed eardrum through an otoscope.

Curative treatment is done with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and drains through the eardrum and drainage cleaning.

Preventive treatment is done by taking the following measures:

Proper cleaning of the ear canal.
Earplugs for swimming in the pools.
Avoid allergies, colds and infections.

It is also very convenient to follow a proper diet rich in the following foods:

Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins A: spinach, carrots, watercress, borage, alhabaca, squash, tomatoes, asparagus and brussel sprouts.
Vegetables, meats, dairy, egg yolks, whole grains, asparagus, peas, endive and spinach: rich in B vitamins food.
Magnesium-rich foods: relaxing and regenerative element in otitis. What contain cheese, milk, soy, beans, spinach, corn, asparagus, pumpkins, cucumbers and whole grains.
Foods rich in zinc which increases our defenses to fight ear infections. It is located in shellfish, shrimp, nuts, milk, whole grain bread and lean meats.
Foods rich in potassium which removes fluids and infected secretions. Their sources are bananas, spinach, tomato, avocado, beans, meat, fish and dairy products.

You should also replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats found in oily fish and nuts.