Eustachiitis - symptoms

As one can understand from the name, eustachiitis is an inflammatory disease of the eustachian (auditory) tube - an organ that enters the structure of the inner ear and connects the middle ear cavity with the pharynx. The location of this organ of hearing contributes to the occurrence of complications associated with diseases of the nasopharynx (rhinitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis). Symptoms of eustachyitis may develop due to abnormalities or features of the anatomical structure of the ENT organs (curved nasal septum, polyps , adenoids, etc.). Eustachyte can be either one-sided or bilateral.

Inflammation of the auditory tube, in the absence of proper treatment, can cause the development of catarrhal otitis.

Symptoms of acute eustachyte

The initial eustachiitis, which arose as a result of flu or hay fever, is characterized by the absence of pain on the background of such manifestations as:

The general condition with symptoms of eustachyitis, as a rule, is quite good, there is no temperature and other signs of the inflammation that has begun. Despite the fact that with acute eustachyte symptoms are fairly easy to transfer, you need to see a doctor. Regular inflammation in the Eustachian tube can eventually lead to degenerative changes in the organ and cause deafness.

Symptoms of chronic eustachyitis

Acute eustachiitis may eventually change into a chronic form. At the same time, the manifestations of the disease are permanent and easily visible when examined by a specialist:

Diagnostic methods for detecting eustachyitis

For a correct diagnosis, a specialist can use one of the diagnostic methods:

  1. Otoscopy - examination of the ear canal with the help of a beam of light reflected from the frontal reflector.
  2. Audiometry is the measurement of auditory sensitivity.
  3. Rinoskopiya - examination of the nasal cavity with the help of nasal mirrors and dilators.
  4. The Valsalva test is an exhalation when the mouth and nose are closed.
  5. Smears - to determine the infectious agent (streptococci, staphylococci, pneumococci, etc.).

Elimination of symptoms of eustachyitis

Since eustachiitis is the result of catarrhal diseases, treatment should begin with the elimination of the underlying cause. For this purpose, drugs are prescribed that help to narrow the swelling of the vessels in the nasopharynx (naphthyzine, nazivin, sanorin). It is necessary to draw the patient's attention to the fact that during the bleeding, mucus can be cast into the auditory tube. In order for this to happen, the cleansing should be performed alternately for each nostril with a little stress.

After drug therapy and removal of edema, it is possible to perform the procedure of blowing the eustachian tube, which can prevent its sticking and pneumomassage.

The use of physiotherapy helps to achieve a faster treatment result. In general, the timely treatment of eustachyte has positive outlook.

Prevention of eustachyitis and precautionary measures

Preventive measures to prevent inflammation of the Eustachian tube is the timely treatment of diseases that cause swelling of the nasopharynx, maintenance of immunity. In case you become ill, it is necessary to regularly sanitize the nose and use vasoconstrictors .

When signs of eustachyte appear, activities associated with sudden changes in atmospheric pressure (deep-water dives, airplane flights) are prohibited.