External otitis is an infection of the skin covering the outer ear and ear canal. It is also known as swimmers ear. It is most often a bacterial infection caused by the streptococcus, staphylococcus, or pseudomonas bacteria. Acute external otitis is usually caused by excessive water (usually from water sports), trapped in the external ear canal by cerumen. This trapped moisture can cause the skin in the ear canal to become a breeding ground for bacteria. As always, any cuts or abrasions can leave the any part of the body, including the ear canal, susceptible to bacteria and infections. External otitis affects the ear and auditory system. Someone with swimmers ear may first notice that their ear may feel full and itchy. The ear will swell, and drain, and be very painful, especially to the touch. This condition can cause the side of the face to become swollen, the ear canal to swell shut; and can even cause difficulty with opening the jaw due to swelling within the lymph nodes. Swimmers ear can become so severe, that temporary hearing loss may be experienced in the effected ear. Chronic otitis externa is one that lasts more than four weeks or occurs more than four times a year. Standard treatments and preventative measures are often all that is needed to treat even a case of chronic otitis externa. However, this may not be the case in people with diabetes or those with suppressed immune systems. Chronic swimmer's ear can become malignant external otitis. “Malignant external otitis is a misnomer because it is not a tumor or a cancer, but rather an aggressive bacterial (typically Pseudomonas) infection of the base of the skull”. Otitis externa is most often identified by the symptoms it causes. Moisture and irritation will prolong the...
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...into an emergency quickly, therefore proper control of the condition is crucial. (medicinenet.com, 2014)
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Otitis externa, is one of the common types of ear infection. The other type of ear infection is otitis media. Both affect the Otolaryngology organ system. Otitis externa is also known as “swimmers ear” and affects the external ear canal. That is why it is called otitis externa, because the affect is to the external air canal. Otitis externa is called swimmers ear because swimmers develop this condition when water settles in the ear and mixes with the cerumen (ear wax). This combination is ideal for bacteria and fungus.
According to the Baylor College of Medicine (n.d.), Cochlear implantation can cause many adverse effects including bleeding, device malformation, facial nerve weakness, ringing in the ear, dizziness, and infection. One particular infection that can result from cochlear implants is meningitis. Since the implant runs between the middle and inner ear, bacteria that exists in the middle ear can travel to the inner ear which is usually sterile. This can cause an infection in the audotroy nerve which travels to the brain, resulting in meningitis (Baylor College of Medicine, n.d.). Another disadvantage of cochlear implants is the cost. The American Academy of Otolaryngology (2015) suggests that the implants can cost as much as $100,000 including the evaluation, surgery, device, and rehabilitation. This makes it almost impossible for the middle class family to afford the
Sound is localised to the ear by the pinna, travelling down the auditory canal, vibrating the eardrum. The eardrums vibrations are then passed down through the ossicles, three small bones known as the hammer, anvil and stirrup that then transfer the vibrations to the oval window of the cochlea. The cochlea is filled with fluid that when exposed to these vibrations stimulate the sterocilia. This small hair cells "wiggle" along to certain frequencies transferring the vibrations into electrical impulses that are then sent to the brain. If the ear is exposed to noise levels of too high an intensity the sterocilia are overstimulated and many become permanently damaged . (Sliwinska-Kowalska et. All,
Otitis Media (OM) is a common middle ear infection that occurs from a build up of fluid within the middle ear (Williams, 2003). This build up of fluid, or pus, is caused by a viral or bacterial infection within the middle ear (Williams, 2003). It is a common disease in childhood that can affect children and infants from as young as 6 weeks of age (Williams, 2003). Some symptoms include redness and inflammation within the ear canal, a bulging tympanic membrane, earaches, loss of hearing, and even nausea, dizziness and vomiting (Williams, 2003; Rural Health Education Foundation, 2014). As young children who develop the infection may not be able to communicate that their ears are sore, they will instead try and relieve this
Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited disease characterized by the buildup of thick, sticky mucous that can cause severe damage to the body’s organs. Mucous is usually a slippery substance that lubricates and protects the linings of the airway, digestive system, reproductive system and other organs and tissue. Problems with digestion can lead to diarrhea, malnutrition, poor growth, and weight-loss. Due to the abnormally thick mucous it can can clog airways, leading to breathing problems and bacterial infections in the lungs. Bacterial infections can lead to coughing, wheezing and inflammation. Overtime these infections can lead to permanent damage in the lungs including the formation of scar tissue, known as fibrosis and cysts in the lungs (Genetics Home Reference, 2013). The symptoms and signs of this disease vary but mostly include progressive damage to the respiratory system and chronic digestive system problems. An individuals’ lungs who are infected by cystic fibrosis have bacteria from an early stage. This bacteria can spread to the small airways, leading to the formation of bacterial micro-environments known as biofilms. Biofilms are difficult for antibodies to penetrate, therefore the bacteria repeatedly damage the lung and gradually remodel the airways, resulting in difficultly to eradicate the infection (Welsh, 1995). Cystic fibrosis patients may even have their airways chronically colonized be filamentous fungi and/or yeasts. Most men with cystic fibrosis have congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD), a condition in which the tubes that carry sperm are blocked by mucous and do not develop properly. As well, women may experience complications in pregnancy. Either the c...
Even though S. aureus is mainly associated with food poisoning, the bacterium can penetrate the skin or other mucous membranes to invade a range of tissues which will cause a variety of infections. Superficial infection of the skin can cause boils, impetigo, styes (infection of the glands or hair follicles of the eyelids), folliculitis, and furnacles. All of these infections are charac...
Hearing loss is a major global public health issue. Hearnet (2017) defines hearing loss as “a disability that occurs when one or more parts of the ear and/or the parts of the brain that make up the hearing pathway do not function normally” (para. 1). There are many different types of hearing loss, which can have multiple causes, giving each individual experiencing the issue a unique hearing loss case. These types include Auditory Processing Disorders, when the brain has problems processing sound information; Conductive Hearing Loss, a problem with the outer or middle ear which prevents sound making its way to the inner ear; and Sensorineural Hearing Loss, when the Cochlea or auditory nerve is damaged and cannot
Hospital acquired infections are one of the most common complications of care in the hospital setting. Hospital acquired infections are infections that patients acquired during the stay in the hospital. These infections can cause an increase number of days the patients stay in the hospital. Hospital acquired infections makes the patients worse or even causes death. “In the USA alone, hospital acquired infections cause about 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths per year”(secondary).
8. Leroy, P, Smismans, A, and Seute, T (2006). Invasive pulmonary and central nervous system aspergillosis after near-drowning of a child: case report and review of literature. Pediatrics;118(2):509-513.
Vertigo and Its Treatment In our everyday lives, we almost take for granted this idea of balance or equilibrium that is maintained within our bodies. In general, no real thought processes are required. It is only when something is disturbed within our balance system that one is able to take notice of changes in the equilibrium. There may be several different factors that cause a disturbance to our bodies.
Inflammation which is part of the innate immune system is a process by which the body reacts to injury protecting it from infection and foreign substances with the help of the body’s white blood cells “Inflammation can be defined as the body’s local vascular and cellular response to injury caused by factors that invade and injure the body from the outside (exogenous factors) or factors within the body that result in cellular or tissue injury (endogenous) factors” (Battle, 2009, P 238). Factors such as bacteria, viruses, burns, frostbite, chemical irritants, immune reactions and physical injury are examples of factors that can cause inflammation through different mechanisms. It is a protective mechanism with rapid response that neutralizes or destroys agents that causes injury and creates a barrier that limit the injury and prevents its spread to normal tissues (Battle, 2009). Also, it has elements that removes debris and heals the wound generated by the injury. It can be divided into acute and chronic inflammation.
Swimmers ear medically known as acute otitis externa, results in an estimated 2.4 million health care visits every year, and nearly half a billion dollars in health care costs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). “Although acute otitis externa generally is a mild illness, it is a frequently diagnosed condition responsible for a substantial health-care burden, with estimated costs of $0.5 billion and nearly 600,000 hour...
Otitis media, commonly known as an ear infection, is an infection located in the middle ear, commonly diagnosed in children. In 2006, approximately nine million children (age zero to seventeen) were reported to have otitis media, while medical costing to treat otitis media peaked at $2.8 billion dollars (Soni, 2008). Costing and statistics of otitis media will continue at the increasing rate due to the commonality of the infection. As a result of increasing cases of otitis media, an understanding of the disease’s classifications, causes, symptoms, diagnostic tests, and treatments will inform one of the diseases presences.
(2011). Rugby Injury. Rugby injury-associated pseudocyst of the auricle : report and review of sports associated dermatoses of the ear, 19, 5.
The ear is one of the most important organs of the body. Not only does it serve to keep the body balanced, but most importantly it give us the ability to hear. When a noise is made it makes a sound wave. When the sound wave makes it to the ear it makes its way through the three sections of the ear. The ear is able to pick up sound waves and transfer them into nerve impulses that can be read by the brain.