| Occlusion of the auditory canal |
One of the most frequent problems in clinical practice is occlusion of the auditory canal by earwax. Earwax (cerumen) is produced by the sebaceous glands present in the auditory canal. Normally, the earwax produced is removed outside by the cleaning action of the auditory canal skin covering.
Small anomalies in the canal, local or general inflammatory phenomena, awkward movements in cleaning the canal (use of cotton buds) can alter the normal migration of wax towards the outside, and therefore cause blockage.
A common occurrence in children is obstruction by foreign bodies (small parts of toys) that can cause transmissive loss. Their removal restores normal hearing.
Middle otitis is an inflammatory process of the eardrum-mastoid due to a virus or bacteria. According to the clinical course, otitis is classified as acute or chronic.
In acute otitis, the little patient complains of pain in the ear, fever and hypoacusis. The purulent forms are associated with otorrhea (pus coming out of the ear).
Piercing of the eardrum tends to close spontaneously once the inflammatory process is over. Unless adequately treated, acute otitis can occasionally lead to complications, like meningitis, paralysis of the facial nerve and cerebral abscess.
Chronic catarrhal otitis is characterized by the prolonged presence of exudate in the eardrum deriving from the association of a disorder of the Eustachian tube with bacterial infection of the middle ear. The main symptoms are seen by stable or fluctuating hypoacusis and rarely by pain.
Mechanical injuries can cause various degrees of damage to the transmission mechanism. A blow to the ear with the palm of an open hand can easily produce a traumatic injury to the tympanic membrane (eardrum), an haemotympanum (blood accumulation in the middle ear) or damage to the bone chain.
