Good hearing should be enjoyed throughout a person’s lifetime. Unfortunately, hearing difficulties often go unrecognized by the person involved. At Anderson ENT & Allergy we are dedicated to helping you and your family overcome hearing loss due to damage or infection and we want you to receive the best possible care.
Audiology – The Understanding of Hearing Loss
Nearly 36 million Americans currently suffer from some sort of hearing loss. That number is expected to soar to and astonishing 78 million by 2030. In fact, hearing loss is the third leading chronic health condition among Americans. Difficulty understanding conversation affects family and peer relationships, employment performance, and interactions with healthcare professionals. As a result, quality of life, cognitive ability, and emotional status suffer. Currently only 1 in 5 Americans who benefit from a hearing aid actually wears a device.
We have the experience and staff needed to properly diagnose your level of hearing loss and we can guide you through the process of regaining your hearing.
Ear Infection And Vaccines
Researchers continue to look for help for children and parents of children who suffer from the most common type of ear infection, called middle ear infection or otitis media (OM).
About 62 percent of children in developed countries will have their first episode of OM by the age of one, more than 80 percent by their third birthday, and nearly 100 percent will have at least one episode by age five. In the U.S. alone, this illness accounts for 25 million office visits annually with direct costs for treatment estimated at $3 billion. Health economists add that when lost wages for parents are included, the total cost of estimated treatments mount to $6 billion.
This is a big problem.
The usual treatment options for children with middle ear infections include 1) antibiotics; and 2) surgical insertion of pressure equalizing tubes in the ears. While studies have shown that antibiotics can be helpful in certain cases, excessive use can lead to bacterial resistance, making infections more difficult to treat. Tubes sometimes do not equalize pressure enough or may need reinsertion over time.
Swimmer’s Ear – Insight into acute otitis externa
- What causes swimmer’s ear?
- What are the signs and symptoms?
- How is swimmer’s ear treated?
Affecting the outer ear, swimmer’s ear is a painful condition resulting from inflammation, irritation, or infection. These symptoms often occur after water gets trapped in your ear, with subsequent spread of bacteria or fungal organisms. Because this condition commonly affects swimmers, it is known as swimmer’s ear. Swimmer’s ear (also called acute otitis externa) often affects children and teenagers, but can also affect those with eczema (a condition that causes the skin to itch), or excess earwax. Your doctor will prescribe treatment to reduce your pain and to treat the infection.
What causes swimmer’s ear?
A common source of the infection is increased moisture trapped in the ear canal, from baths, showers, swimming, or moist environments. When water is trapped in the ear canal, bacteria that normally inhabit the skin and ear canal multiply, causing infection of the ear canal. Swimmer’s ear needs to be treated to reduce pain and eliminate any effect it may have on your hearing, as well as to prevent the spread of infection.