Question about the ear

<Q> I sometime feel ear itching, earache and discharge for few years. When I visit ear doctor and the symptom is slightly improve, but the symptom occurs again. Is it difficult to cure completely?

<A> Your diagnosis is eczema of external auditory canal or external otitis. Sometimes the inflammation extends to eardrum and meddle ear. When your symptom prolongs, you may suffered by diabetes or infected by the bacteria that has less sensitivity for antibiotics. Take care not to touch and clean by yourself that cause the inflammation. It takes long time to cure but you need continuous consult to your doctor.

<Q> Recently, I have difficulty in hearing. My family members tell me to use the hearing aid, but I don’t want to. Do I have to use the hearing aid?

<A> I know many patients they have hearing aid but they don’t use it. In spite of salesclerk recommendation, the noise of the hearing aid is too much and they quit using it anymore. In case of sensory neural hearing disturbance (aging), the ability of analyze sound is decrease and loud sound is not cause better hearing. But every person have their proper hearing level, good adjustment of hearing aid bring you better hearing. Check your hearing level at clinic and consult to the hearing aid shop recommended by the doctor. Where you can try the hearing aid for some weeks before you purchase. After you check the state of using and confirm the effectiveness, you get the hearing aid.

<Q> My son is 6 years old. He caught a cold a few days ago and he complained ear ache last night. Today, I consult the ENT clinic and the diagnosis is acute otitis media. I want to know about the disease

<A> Acute otitis media is inflammatory disease caused by bacterial infection at middle ear. Middle ear is an air cavity located inside of ear drum connected with pharynx by Eustachian tube. When you catch the cold or rhinitis and inflammation of the nose or pharynx occurs, if some bacteria extend to middle ear, otitis media breaks out. Treatment is to take antibiotic medicine etc. if the pain is severe or high fever continues, incision of ear drum and drainage of pus discharge is performed.

<Q> She is 5 years old. She has sniffles last 2 months. Recently she sometimes doesn’t reply and watch TV in loud volume. Had she better consult a doctor?

<A> She may suffer from otitis media with effusion. It is often caused by interruption of the therapy for acute otitis media and prolonged inflammation of nose and pharynx (chronic rhinitis, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, and so on). Because otitis media with effusion doesn’t bring with ear pain and high fever those are often accompanied with acute otitis media, parents are apt to late for notice about this disease. We check her ear, nose and throat, then examine her hearing level and mobility of her ear drums. Treatment is to ventilate of middle air and take medicine internally. Ventilation is performed by fine metallic catheter if possible, but some cases we use rubber ball. If middle ear effusion continues more than 3 months, Ear drum incision or ventilation tube operation are performed. Adenoidectomy is also performed if she has adenoid vegetation.

<Q> What is the point we should care not to become otitis media?

<A>
(1) If watery rhinorrhea or yellowish nasal discharge continue, consult a doctor.
(2) Blow nose softly closing each nostril in turn. Don’t blow strongly.
(3) Don’t sniff. The snuffles are one of the cause of otitis media.
(4) Be care not to catch cold.
Otitis media with effusion is sometimes difficult to cure completely. If you have trouble with acute otitis media, you should consult your doctor and continue treatment until your recover from otitis media. In case of child, if nasal or pharyngeal inflammation continue, snoring is loud, please consult ENT doctor.

<Q> My child repeat paracentesis. I wonder if his hearing become poor in the future?

<A> Reiterate parasentesis is inevitable if otitis media continues, but it is important to drain and reduce pus discharge. Ear drum is closed spontaneously in few days in most cases. If otitis media prolongs and advances in severity, that will be the cause of hearing disturbance in the future.

Question about the nose

<Q> Every February, my nose and eyes are itchy, I hear that lots of cedar pollen will scatter this year. How should I do?

<A> Airborne pollen level forecasts are made based on weather conditions of last summer. If the temperature was high and humidity was low in last summer, pollen scattering number increase. You have better consult a doctor and begin the treatment before pollen scattering start, usually early in February. But if you fail to start treatment at the beginning of February, you consult a doctor about appropriate therapy even now. You also need to take care because pollinosis often give rise itching of skin, irritating feeling in a throat, stridor, dull headache, sense of fatigue, trouble concentrating.
Self-medications include the following.
Refrain from going outside refer to airborne pollen level forecast.
Put on smooth clothes, glasses and a mask when you go out.
Take off your coat outside of entrance, blow your nose and gargle when you go home.
Hang out the washing inside the room, close the window and clean the room every day.

<Q> My daughter is 6 years old. She had a medical examination at school and was pointed out sinusitis. What disease is it? What is the difference between sinusitis and rhinitis?

<A> Rhinitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity, sinusitis is that of paranasal sinuses surrounding nasal cavity and often the advanced state of rhinitis. If you catch cold and yellowish nasal discharge occur, you seem to be afflicted with acute sinusitis. If you are suffering from persistent viscous discharge and nasal congestion continue, you may contract a chronic sinusitis. Sinusitis is often caused by allergy, dental trouble, swimming and scuba diving. Therapy is nasal check and treatment, inhalation treatment with nebulizer and medication. In case of adult patient, endoscopic sinus surgery is performed when the symptoms are not improved.

<Q> My baby is 7 months boy. He looks like to have stuffed nose in the night since last month. Is he suffering from sinusitis?

<A> Sinusitis is a inflammation of parnasal sinuses. Paranasal cavity is not grow when he is 2 years old and diagnosis is not sinusitis. But if stuffy nose continues, it often causes bronchitis and otitis media. Treatment is recommended.

<Q> How should I take care to avoid sinusitis usually?

<A> If nasal discharge and congestion of nose continue, you visit a doctor and consult the treatment.
When you are difficult to blowout your nasal discharge, don’t blow strongly, blow nose frequently closing each nostril in turn. In many cases, treatment of nasal disease takes a lot of time. We try to clean deeply into the nasal cavity. At first, infant and child are unwilling to go ENT-clinic. But when they notice the effectiveness of the treatment, they become to prefer the treatment
Even if you are suffering from chronic disease, you may recover without surgical operation. Please continue the treatment patiently.

<Q> My nose bleeds frequently. What is the cause?

<A> In case of child, nasal disease such as allergic rhinitis or sinusitis is present in the background. They touch their nose frequently and injuries of nasal membrane cause nasal bleeding. Treatments for rhinitis bring improvement of nosebleed.

Question about the throat

<Q> 55years old woman, It’s painful for me that the mucus has flowed to the throat and stuck for 2 years. What should I do?

<A> You seem to have inflammation around epipharynx located deep inside part of the nasal meatus caused by chronic sinusitis or nasal allergy. First, we observe nasal cavity and throat by using endoscopy, if there is no malignant lesion, we will clean the mucus and prescribe medicine. Patient treatment may be needed because long time has been passed since the occurrence of event,

<Q> Do you recommend to remove the tonsils?

<A> You need not remove the palatine tonsils if they aren’t the cause of another symptoms. But in case of recurrent tonsillitis with high fever and severe symptoms or enlargement of tonsils causing sleep apnea syndrome, you had better undergo tonsillectomy.

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