|
Ear wax-afterall what is it ?-Ear wax is produced by the glands present in the skin of the external auditory canal.It traps dust particles and gives oily feel to the skin of the external auditory canal.Before reading this article pl go through our article on Ear wax -Part -1 in healthuseful.com
https://healthuseful.com/ is the link for this website.
What will happen if the external auditory canal does not secrete ear wax?
Then external auditory canal will become hard, dry and more prone to infections.
What are symptoms of ear wax ?
Tinnitus (Ringing sensation in the ear)
Earache,
Ear blocking sensation,
Decreased hearing,
Ear itching,
Infection,
Vertigo (Giddiness -sense of loss of balance) ,
Cough -due to wax causing pressure on the external auditory canal and stimulating the vagus nerve. Vagus nerve has common innervation to the ear and larynx and so there is cough sensation.
Ear wax and hearing aids -Hearing aid advice should be taken from ENT specialist doctor only as he will examine the ear with ear microscope first and if any ear wax is there, he will remove it first so that there will be not any problem with fitting of hearing aid.
Also he will get a proper Pure tone Audiometry done so that ,he can advise digital hearing aid to provide amplification only at those frequencies where amplification is required by the patient which prevents any undue discomfort to the patient.
Also from the pure tone Audiometry he can inform the patient whether he will really be beneficial from the hearing aid and to how much extent .
Etiology of ear wax problems –
Excess production of ear wax in some individuals.
Those individuals who do swimming more have tendency to develop more ear wax.
Those people who use hearing aids or earplugs in those people there is no proper drainage of ear wax leading to more accumulation and blockage.
Those individuals who use ear buds pins, napkins, towels to clean ear, in them wax gets pushed further inside the external auditory canal leading to problems.
What are risk factors for developing ear wax? (In what kind of people ear wax is more, or in what circumstances ear wax accumulation is more)
It will be more in the following situations –
In people with more hairy skin.
In people with patients with osteomas or benign growths of the external auditory canal
In patients where the external auditory canal is narrow or not fully formed.
For narrow external auditory canal, canaloplasty surgery is advised to increase the diameter of the external auditory canal so that drainage of ear wax becomes easier and it doesn’t accumulate so as to create problems.
In individuals with eczema
In individuals with diseases like lupus, Sjogren syndrome
In individuals with frequent ear infections
In old age as the wax becomes more than usual dry and difficult to drain.
How to clean the ear-
We always recommend to get the ear wax if any to get cleaned from a qualified and experienced ENT specialist doctor.
Always avoid cleaning with hot oil, cold oil, pins ,needles, keys, sticks, or with buds-this can push the wax further inside and cause damage to the skin of the external auditory canal or to the tympanic membrane.
Methods used by ENT specialist doctor to clean the ear-
By ear microscope using suction irrigation.
by syringing.
In the following situations syringing should be totally avoided –
The person has had previous ear surgery
An individual has a grommet insertion done in the tympanic membrane which is a small tube to allow ventilation of the middle ear.
An individual born with a cleft palate.
The individual with a perforated eardrum
If the individual has recently had otitis media, which is an infection of the middle ear.
In case if there is mucous discharge from the ear, which could be a undiagnosed perforation or a cholesteotoma
Anyone who has had any problems, such as severe vertigo or pain, following previous irrigation should undergo this procedure only by a qualified and experienced ENT specialist doctor if possible in the presence of anaesthetic in a ICU set up hospital .
Complications of ear wax -Impacted ear wax if it gets infected then it can cause ,meningitis ,cranial paralysis-these things are very rare ,
Vertigo,
Nausea
For any ENT (Ear, nose ,throat ) problems you may contact -Prabha ENT (Ear nose throat) clinic ,Dr Sagar Rajkuwar (MS-ENT), ENT specialist doctor,
Adress -Prabha ENT clinic plot no 345 ,Saigram colony ,opposite Indoline
furniture Ambad link road, Ambad ,1 km from Pathardi phata ,Nashik 422010 ,Maharashtra .
Appointment nos for clinic visit or for online consultation -7387590194,
9892596635 .
|
|
Ear wax-Part-2
