what is GLUE EAR? and what are the symptoms?

Question

I can't hear real good when I am in a crowd of people, I learned to read lips, throughout my lifetime because of this.

Answer 1

Otitis media is an inflammation of the middle ear: the space behind the ear drum. It is one of the two conditions that are commonly thought of as ear infections, the other being otitis externa. Otitis media is very common in childhood, and includes acute and chronic conditions; all of which involve inflammation of the ear drum (tympanic membrane), and are usually associated with a buildup of fluid in the space behind the ear drum (middle ear space).

Typically, acute otitis media follows a cold: after a few days of a stuffy nose the ear becomes involved and can cause severe pain. The pain will usually settle within a day or two but can last over a week. Sometimes the ear drum ruptures discharging pus from the ear, but usually the ruptured drum will heal rapidly.

At an anatomic level, the typical progression of acute otitis media occurs as follows: the tissues surrounding the Eustachian tube swell due to an upper respiratory infection, allergies, or dysfunction of the tubes. The Eustachian tube remains blocked most of the time. The air present in the middle ear is slowly absorbed into the surrounding tissues. A strong negative pressure creates a vacuum in the middle ear. The vacuum reaches a point where fluid from the surrounding tissues accumulates in the middle ear. This is seen as a progression from a Type A tympanogram to a Type C to a Type B tympanogram. The fluid may become infected. It has been found that dormant bacteria behind the Tympanum (eardrum) multiply when the conditions are ideal infecting the middle ear fluid.

Answer 2

Fluid accumulation in the middle ear

More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Glue ear is available below.

Definitions of Glue ear:
Inflammation of the middle ear with a clear pale yellow-colored transudate. - (Source - Diseases Database)


▲TopWhat causes Glue ear?
Some of the possible causes of Glue ear include:
Middle ear infection - usually a recurrent series of infections
Enlarged adenoids
Read more about causes of Glue ear

More detailed information about the causes of Glue ear can be found on our causes page including:

What are the possible underlying conditions of Glue ear?
Glue ear as a complication of other conditions

Underlying medical conditions are other medical conditions that may possibly cause Glue ear. The following information on underlying conditions should also be considered:



List of Underlying conditions of Glue ear
Glue ear as a complication

For general information about Glue ear see our basic information pages.

▲TopWhat are the symptoms of Glue ear:
Some of the symptoms of Glue ear incude:

No early symptoms - many people are unaware there is a problem
Partial hearing loss
Hearing deterioration
Intermittent hearing loss
Hearing loss during upper respiratory infections

Answer 3

an accumulation of a glue like substance in themiddle ear which bulges the eardrum and impairs hearing.