Otitis media can occur as an acute condition or represent an exacerbation of a chronic process associated with a decrease in immune reactivity and a number of other reasons. Purulent ear inflammation in adults is a legitimate concern. With a pronounced intoxication syndrome, the general condition is significantly disturbed. To transfer purulent otitis media "on the legs" is not only difficult, but also dangerous for health - a weakened body needs proper rest for a speedy recovery. Among the local manifestations, pain syndrome is often the most striking. There is also otorrhea, itching, noise in the ear. Although the general symptoms may be similar, the individual signs of purulent otitis media differ depending on the form of the course.
Acute otitis media
Purulent ear inflammation most often occurs in the form of otitis externa and otitis media. Otitis externa, in turn, is divided as limited and diffuse, which is reflected in the characteristics of the clinical picture. It is worth considering the symptoms of purulent otitis media in relation to each variant of the course of the disease.
The limited form manifests itself:
- pain in the ear;
- headache;
- fever.
Symptoms are due to the occurrence of a boil. The painful sensations are very pronounced - the patient has to limit the movements of the jaw and head as much as possible so as not to cause an increase in pain. Inspection of the external auditory canal is painful, therefore it must be carried out very carefully in a doctor's office using special instruments. Pressure on the auricle, including the tragus, is accompanied by a sharp intensification of pain. In addition to pain in the area of the ear canal, there is also a headache, pain in the neck. Fever is often subfebrile, but can reach febrile values, combined with weakness, chills.
With a diffuse form, patients indicate such manifestations as:
- itching;
- burning;
- pain;
- pathological discharge.
Masses of discharge are dense, fill the lumen of the ear canal, and have an unpleasant odor.
If the otitis media is purulent, the symptoms of a lesion of the middle ear, in addition to otorrhea, are combined with systemic manifestations - increased body temperature, severe weakness, headache.
The pain in the ear is steadily increasing, is described as extremely excruciating, sometimes it persists even while taking analgesics. The following features of the flow can be called:
- Occurrence during the course of an acute respiratory infection.
- Hearing impairment, accompanied by noise and a feeling of "fullness" of the ear.
- Relief of pain with the onset of otorrhea (discharge of pus).
- Absence of smell in purulent masses flowing from the ear.
- Abundant amount of pus in the first hours after the perforation of the membrane.
- A gradual decrease in the volume of discharge up to the complete disappearance of otorrhea.
Acute purulent inflammation is accompanied not only by local, but also by general manifestations. The intoxication syndrome indicates the severity of the course of the infectious and inflammatory process and can help in the differential diagnosis of purulent otitis media with another variant of the disease.
Atypical course
Otitis media is perceived as a severe pathology that requires complex therapy, and in many cases, surgical procedures. The inconsistency of the manifestations of the disease with the classical, usual for both the practicing physician and the patient, complicates the diagnosis and can cause refusal of treatment. However, therapy is required regardless of the brightness of the manifestations.
If we focus on what manifestations can be called atypical symptoms in adults, purulent otitis media in an erased form is characterized by:
- pain in the ear, which is described by the patient as bearable, tolerable;
- lack of severe headache;
- no fever or subfebrile fever.
Local symptoms with an erased form prevail over general manifestations.
A slight weakness or a satisfactory general condition suggests a mild course of the disease. If the pain in the ear does not interfere with rest, sleep, daily activities, the visit to the doctor may be postponed, self-medication may be started. In many cases, treatment is not carried out at all, and the process is aggravated by the development of adhesive otitis media.
Chronic otitis media
Purulent otitis media in chronic form is characterized by periodic exacerbations. The disease can begin in childhood or adolescence, but there are cases of chronicity of the course when an acute process occurs in adults. There are several forms of chronic otitis media, the clinical picture of which is united by common symptoms:
- Headache.
- Dizziness.
- Increased body temperature.
- Earache.
- Discharge of pus from the ear.
Purulent contents from the patient's ear often have an unpleasant odor.
Signs of purulent otitis media are divided into local and systemic. At the same time, the most significant in the clinical picture are the local ones - pain and otorrhea (they persist for a long time, constantly recur). During an exacerbation after hypothermia, a postponed respiratory infection, symptoms similar to those of acute purulent inflammation may develop.
Otitis media in pregnant women
One of the probable pathologies of the ears in pregnant women is purulent otitis media. The onset of otitis media during pregnancy can occur for various reasons, but the most common is ARVI (acute respiratory viral infection). The patient is worried about:
- earache;
- noise in the ear;
- "Overflow" of the ear;
- decreased hearing acuity;
- headache;
- fever;
- weakness.
The appearance of nausea, vomiting as symptoms of intoxication is possible. Since the disease is observed against the background of damage to the respiratory system, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough (dry or with sputum) are also present.
Symptoms of otitis media during pregnancy, as a rule, correspond to the typical picture of acute purulent inflammation of the middle ear.
The severity of the course may be related to the severity of the symptoms of the primary disease. Respiratory infections usually manifest in pregnant women in the same way as in women who are not carrying a child. However, some variants of ARVI - for example, influenza - can be characterized by the development of complications, the rapid progression of pathological changes.
