With rise in humidity levels, cases of ear infections have begun and city hospitals are getting several patients. The ENT OPD at the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital has already started receiving patients complaining of pain and hearing problem with discharge from inside the ear.
More than 50-60 patients have visited the hospital with ear infections daily as the humidity in the air has risen in the past few days. Most patients are diagnosed with high deposition of ear wax inside the ear canal and some even suffer from fungal infections, say experts at the GMSH 16.
Harpreet, a patient who visited the ENT OPD here said, “For the past few days I was having problem with hearing and felt that something has been stuffed in my ears. Suddenly after the first rain in the city, my problem aggravated and the pain was unbearable when I thought of consulting an expert.” Dr Sukhdev, an ENT specialist at GMSH-16, said that it was a common problem. Ear wax was nothing but a chemical called cerumen which was secreted from glands present inside the ear. The secretion was a self cleaning system designed to protect the ear.
However, many people thought it unhygienic to have ear wax and tried cleaning it with cotton swabs or buds. This was when the real problem started, added Dr Sukhdev.
When people poke their ear with buds the wax deposited in the surface of ear moves deeper into the cul-de-sac of the ear and gets accumulated there. As humidity rises, the wax tends to expand inside the ear, due to absorption of water, causing pain and hearing problems.
Dr Sukhdev said people should not worry about the formation of wax inside the ear because it was a basic anatomical phenomenon. Generally the mechanism of the ear was such that wax gradually reached the ear opening, dries, flakes and fell out on its own. The problem started when people used cotton swabs and push this wax flakes deeper into the ear.
The treatment is simple and hence one shouldn’t try getting their ears cleaned by some amateur. Instead if the problem persists one should visit an expert at the earliest. Dr Sukhdev said, fungal infection in the ear is a common problem as the humidity in the air rises. These problems can also be arrested easily by consulting an expert. However, to prevent such infection one should clean the exterior of the ear properly and people who go out for swimming to beat the heat should use ear plugs, while in the pool.