What should I do if my ears are buzzing and hurting?

If you experience buzzing and pain in your ears, you should be alert to otitis media, which is a common ear disease. Patients will experience symptoms of ear pain, tinnitus, and hearing loss. Otitis media is especially common in children, so parents must take their children to a professional hospital for treatment.

1. Symptoms of otitis media

1. Earache:

In acute cases, there may be dull ear pain, which is often the first symptom of the patient. It can be continuous or cramping. In chronic cases, ear pain is not obvious. This disease is often accompanied by a feeling of blockage or stuffiness in the ear, which can be temporarily relieved by pressing the tragus.

2. Tinnitus:

Most of them are low-key and intermittent, such as "crackling", buzzing and flowing water. When the head moves or when yawning or blowing the nose, a sound of air passing through water may be heard in the ears.

3. Hearing loss:

Hearing loss and enhanced self-hearing. When the head tilts forward or toward the healthy side, hearing may temporarily improve (positional hearing improvement) because the effusion leaves the cochlear conduction. When the effusion is viscous, hearing may not change with changes in head position. Children are often brought to the doctor by their parents because of their slow response to sounds, poor concentration, and poor academic performance. If one ear is diseased and the hearing in the other ear is normal, it may not be noticed for a long time and may only be discovered during a physical examination.

2. What are the symptoms of otitis media in children?

(1) Early stage (medically known as Eustachian tube obstruction stage): Children may show symptoms such as lack of energy, loss of appetite, tinnitus, and ear discomfort (children cannot express themselves), but ear discomfort will affect the baby's play and sleep. During this period, doctors may find that the eardrum (medically called tympanic membrane) is sunken and there is fluid in the middle ear.

(2) Progressive stage (medically known as the pre-suppurative stage): manifested by high fever, body temperature can reach 39℃~40℃, crying and restlessness, hearing loss and ear pain in children, accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. These symptoms are similar to those of a cold or enteritis and are easily ignored or misdiagnosed. After examination, it can be found that the eardrum is congested and the auditory ossicles are red, swollen and bulging.

(3) Peak stage (medically known as the suppurative stage): Children have high fever and refuse to eat. In severe cases, they have a gray complexion, fluctuating tinnitus, hearing loss, and ear pain radiating to the surrounding areas. Examination may reveal a bulging eardrum and pus in the middle ear.

(4) Late stage (medically known as the dissipation stage): Generally, 4-5 days after the onset of the disease, the child's body temperature drops, the ear pain disappears, and the child can fall asleep, but the eardrum ruptures, pus flows out of the ear canal, and tinnitus and hearing loss still exist.