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Barotitis

Written by Robert A Wilson

Thursday, 15 February 2007

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Barotitis
What your doctor can do
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Barotitis is inflammatory damage to the middle ear often caused by a sudden change in the outside air pressure. This condition most commonly occurs after scuba diving or during airplane travel. If the air cannot balance out in between the middle ear and outside air via the eustachian tube, (a small tube that leads from the throat to the middle ear), too much or too little air pressure accumulates in the middle ear. This causes the eardrums to bulge outward in the ear canal or suck inward towards the middle ear. The eardrum could rupture if the pressure is too high. The eustachian tube may become clogged with a cold or allergies and swallowing cannot move the air in or out of the middle ear. Risk increases with recent respiratory infection, high impact sports, and in children who cannot open their eustachian tubes with swallowing.

Symptoms may include:

Ear pain
A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
Dizziness
Hearing loss
Ringing in the ears
Headache

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Last Updated ( Friday, 08 February 2008 )

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