Ear, nose, and throat infections are becoming increasingly common among children and adults. These conditions display relatively mild symptoms. However, some infections can cause serious problems that require a visit to an ear, nose & throat doctor Houston, TX, to be examined and get special treatment. Here are four common conditions that you can benefit from when you book an appointment with a specialist ENT to get help:
1. Chronic Ear Infections
This condition develops when you have an infection around the air-filled space found behind your eardrum. Some people are more prone to get this ear infection than others. Typically, it impacts children between the ages of six months and two years due to the shape and size of their Eustachian tubes and middle ears.
Often, an ear infection can develop after having other forms of illness that may cause swelling and congestion, such as allergies, colds, or flu. When an ear infection develops, it can be painful and lead to impaired hearing, loss of balance, fever, or headache.
When your child develops an ear infection, it would be best to take them to an ENT before the condition becomes severe. It may affect their hearing, and when the diseases continue to recur, it could affect their speech, and lead to social and developmental delays.
2. Ringing in the Ear
Ringing in the ear is referred to as tinnitus. This condition produces recurrent noise in your ear or head that isn’t coming from an external source. These noises can last for more than five minutes and may affect the sufferer more than once per week.
Tinnitus can negatively impact their lives as the noises will become highly bothersome to some people. This condition does not have a cure. Therefore, when you visit an ENT provider, they will assess you and use different management strategies to lessen your perception of the annoying sounds.
3. Tonsillitis or Chronic Sore Throat
Tonsillitis causes inflammation in your tonsils. Tonsils are two oval-shaped pads of tissue that are located at the back of the throat. When someone develops this condition, its symptoms include swollen tonsils, difficulty when swallowing food, sore throat, and tender lymph nodes on your neck sides.
The treatment for tonsillitis will depend on what has led to it. Therefore, it would be best to visit an ENT provider to be examined and receive an accurate diagnosis. When the condition reoccurs, it can be treated by undergoing surgery to remove the tonsils.
4. Hearing Loss
Often people developing hearing loss begin to perceive that others’ voices are too soft or they are always mumbling, or they find themselves continually turning up the volume of their devices at home. If hearing loss is developing, it is best to visit an ENT provider.
Most ENT providers collaborate with audiologists to find the root cause of hearing loss, ranging from earwax buildup in the ears, ear infection, ruptured eardrum, or inner ear damage. Additionally, patients could develop sensorineural hearing loss when they begin to notice rapid hearing loss, which happens at once or for a few days. Please visit an ENT to be evaluated and get professional care.
For any condition that affects your ears, nose, and throat, you can visit Houston Sinus Surgery. We have the best specialist and diagnostic machines and tools to help you recover. Please book an appointment to speak to our friendly specialists.