Swimmer's Ear: Symptoms, Causes & Treatments

However older we may be. Often times water gets into our ears while bathing or swimming. If the water gets clogged within the ear canal it may attract bacteria or fungus or even virus, infect the outer ear canal and may cause major problems.

Let’s read a little more about Swimmers Ears and their treatment options.

What is Swimmer's Ear?

Swimmer’s ear or Otitis externa is an infection that occurs on the outer ear canal that runs from the eardrum to the head. It's often caused by water remaining in the ear after swimming and creates a moist environment that helps bacteria or fungi to grow. Make sure to treat Swimmer’s Ear with the Best ENT Specialists near your location.

Symptoms:

Usually, a swimmer's ear is caused by bacteria, but sometimes it can be caused by a virus or fungus. Symptoms you may get are,

  • Redness in the outer ear
  • Itchiness in the ear
  • Severe ear pain
  • Trouble hearing
  • Pus draining out of the ear

Swimmer's Ear Complications

Most of the time, the swimmer's ear starts to feel better within 2 days of treatment. But sometimes it can get worse or lead to other major problems such as:

  • Temporary hearing loss. You might have trouble hearing (muffled hearing) that usually gets better after the infection clears.
  • Long-term infection (chronic otitis externa). An outer ear infection is usually considered chronic if signs and symptoms persist for more than three months. Chronic infections are more common and these conditions may make treatment difficult.
  • Early skull base osteomyelitis: This is a rare complication of the swimmer's ear that occurs as the infection spreads to the cartilage of the outer ear and bones of the lower part of the skull, Leads to severe pain. Commonly older adults, people with diabetes or people with weakened immune systems are at high risk of this complication.
  • More-widespread infection. If swimmer's ear leads into advanced skull base osteomyelitis, the infection can spread and affect other major parts of the body, such as the brain or nerves. This rare complication can be life-threatening.

Other infections: The bacteria can spread deeper into your skin or to other parts of your body. malignant otitis externa is a rare condition that happens when the infection moves into bone and cartilage in your head. It's a medical emergency, and most common in older people with diabetes and people with HIV or other immune system problems.

Diagnosis and Treatment for Swimmer's Ear:

If you have ear pain or any symptoms of swimmer’s ear, see your doctor right away. Starting treatment quickly can stop an infection from getting worse. During your appointment, your doctor will look in your ear and prescribe medication according to your condition. A doctor may gently clean your ear and prescribe ear drops and advise you to keep the ear dry.

If you need Swimmer’s Ear Treatment in Chennai, consult any Best ENT Doctors in Chennai immediately and definitely consult @Dr. Kumar’s Multispeciality Hospital in Chennai to have the best ENT Treatment in Chennai and address for your ear problems.

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