Robert Zakar gives back to community

4 Type Of Infections That You Can Get If You Are A Regular Swimmer

In the summer season, swimming is a popular recreational exercise which has many health benefits. It's a cool way to beat the heat, be active, and spend time with family and friends. It is important to note, however, that certain illnesses can be transmitted when swimming. In this post, we will look at some of the most prevalent swimming ailments and discuss preventive strategies to guarantee a safe and happy swimming experience. In an interaction with OnlyMyHealth, Dr Kirti Sabnis, Infectious Disease Specialist, Fortis Hospital Mulund & Kalyan, explained all about types of infections a regular swimmer can acquire. 

Gastrointestinal Infections a) Cryptosporidiosis

As per research, cryptosporidium is a parasite commonly found in recreational water sources. Swallowing water contaminated with this parasite can cause gastrointestinal distress, leading to symptoms such as diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, and nausea.

b) Norovirus

Norovirus, often referred to as the "stomach flu," can be contracted through recreational water contaminated with faecal matter. It causes gastroenteritis, characterised by vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps.

Also read: Swimming For Health: Health Benefits For Mind & Body

Bacterial Infections a) Legionnaires' Disease

Legionella bacteria can multiply in warm water environments, including hot tubs and swimming pools. Inhalation of contaminated aerosolized water droplets can lead to Legionnaires' disease, characterised by severe pneumonia symptoms such as high fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

b) Pseudomonas Infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterium commonly found in hot tubs and pools. It can cause skin rashes, swimmer's ear (otitis externa), and occasionally more severe respiratory infections in susceptible individuals.

Skin Infections a) Athlete's Foot

Fungal infections such as athlete's feet thrive in warm and damp environments like swimming pool locker rooms and communal showers. It can cause itchy, flaky, and cracked skin between the toes, along with redness and discomfort.

b) Hot Tub Folliculitis

Also known as "hot tub rash," this bacterial infection is caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It results in itchy, red bumps or a rash that may develop after using inadequately maintained hot tubs or pools.

Ear Infections a) Swimmer's Ear

Medically known as otitis externa, swimmer's ear is an infection of the ear canal that occurs when water remains trapped in the ear, providing a moist environment for bacteria or fungi to grow. It causes ear pain, itching, redness, and swelling.

How You Can Prevent Infections

To reduce the risk of gastrointestinal infections, follow these important guidelines:  

It is crucial to avoid swallowing pool water, shower before swimming, and practise good hygiene, including frequent handwashing, especially after using the restroom. 

Wear appropriate footwear in communal areas, such as flip-flops or sandals, can help prevent fungal infections. 

Maintain proper water hygiene and disinfection in hot tubs and pools is essential to prevent bacterial infections.

Proper disinfection and water treatment protocols in swimming facilities is crucial to prevent the proliferation of bacteria. Regular monitoring of water quality, proper maintenance of filtration systems, and maintaining appropriate chlorine or bromine levels can help reduce the risk of respiratory infections.

Drying the ears thoroughly after swimming and tilting the head to each side to allow water to drain can help prevent swimmer's ear. Using earplugs or a swim cap can also provide an additional barrier against water entering the ear canal.

The Bottomline

While swimming offers numerous benefits for physical and mental well-being, it's important to be aware of the potential illnesses associated with this activity. By practising good hygiene, avoiding ingestion of pool water, ensuring proper water treatment and disinfection, and taking preventive measures to protect the skin and ears, individuals can enjoy a safe and healthy swimming experience

Treating A Sinus Infection With Ear Pain

Due to the Sinus Infection Itself or From a Secondary Ear Infection

Dobrila Vignjevic / Getty Images

Medically reviewed by Josephine Hessert, DO

Sinus infections can cause various symptoms, one being ear pain. In some cases, ear pain during a sinus infection can develop because of a secondary ear infection. However, that's not always the case.

The pain felt in the ear occurs when fluid buildup from the sinus infection becomes trapped behind the eardrum. Ear pain driven by a sinus infection can feel like:

Pressure

Generalized pain

Fullness in the ear

This article discusses the link between sinus infections and ear pain with or without an ear infection and what treatments are available to remedy the symptom.

Dobrila Vignjevic / Getty Images

Why a Sinus Infection Causes Ear Pain

A sinus infection occurs when mucus and fluids build up in the sinuses, air-filled pockets in the face.

The fluid trapped within the sinuses can travel to the ear through a passageway known as the eustachian tube. The tube has many important jobs, including:

Allowing the passage of air from the ear to the sinuses

Balancing pressure in the ear

Draining excess fluid from the ear

Protecting the ears from hearing sounds from within the body

Because of its connection to the sinuses, the eustachian tube can become blocked when a sinus infection occurs. This blockage leads to pressure and pain in the ear.

Ear Infection vs. Sinus Infection

Although the sinuses and the ears are connected, an infection can occur in one and not the other. That said, the symptoms may be similar. Some of the commonly shared symptoms include:

Pain or pressure in the ear

Pain or pressure in the neck

Fever

Nasal congestion

Facial pain

Pain in the upper jaws and teeth

Distinct symptoms of sinus infections and ear infections include:

Sinus Infection

Runny and stuffy nose

Headache

Postnasal drip

Cough

Bad breath

Ear Infection

Learn More: Ear Infection in Adults

Link Between Sinus and Ear Infections

Because of how physically close the sinuses and ears are, infections in either area can spread easily. If a person develops an ear infection, it can spread to the sinuses and vice versa. The pathogen, whether bacterial or viral, can go through the eustachian tube toward either the ears or the sinuses, depending on where it started, causing infection elsewhere.

Story continues

How to Deal With a Sinus Infection and Ear Pain

In many cases, a sinus infection can be treated at home while the body fights off the pathogen. To relieve ear pain and other symptoms while you wait for the infection to clear up, you can:

Hold a warm compress over the nose, forehead, or ear to help relieve pain or pressure.

Place a cold cloth over the ear.

Use an over-the-counter (OTC) decongestant to clear excess fluid buildup.

Use steam therapy, which involves breathing in steam from a bowl of hot water or in the shower to loosen excess fluid buildup.

Use OTC painkillers, such as Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen) or Tylenol (acetaminophen).

Learn More: How to Relieve Ear Pain: 20 Treatments

Treatment for Sinus Infection With Ear Infection

Treating ear pain caused by a sinus infection begins with treating the cause of the sinus infection. For example, if a bacterial infection causes it, antibiotics may be prescribed to eliminate the pathogen and, thus, the infection. However, before any medication is given, healthcare providers may advise you to practice the wait-and-see method.

This involves treating the symptoms at home while the infection clears up. Typically, healthcare providers will avoid prescribing antibiotics until the symptoms persist for a week or more.

Antibiotics and Sinus Infections

Healthcare providers tend to delay prescribing antibiotics to people with sinus infections unless it is absolutely necessary. Typically, sinus infections are caused by viruses, not bacteria. Additionally, antibiotics may cause adverse health effects to develop or lead to an increased risk of antibiotic resistance.

Learn More: Antibiotics for Sinus Infection

Sinus Infection With Ear Pain: When to Visit a Provider

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you should contact a healthcare provider for a sinus infection with ear pain if:

The ear pain is severe.

You have severe headaches or facial pain.

Symptoms continue to worsen over time instead of improving.

Symptoms do not improve after 10 days.

You have a fever for three to four days that won't go away.

You have repeated sinus infections that have occurred often over the last year.

Summary

Having a sinus infection with ear pain is not a fun experience. That said, the infection itself is typically mild and clears up on its own. While waiting for it to go away, you can try several techniques mentioned above to relieve symptoms, including ear pain.

If your sinus infection lasts longer than ten days or worsens while you're waiting for it to clear up, contact a healthcare provider. You may need a round of antibiotics to get rid of the infection, and the accompanying symptoms, such as ear pain.

Ear Infections Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment

Experiencing inner ear discomfort or constant pressure, pus drainage, or hearing loss may be symptoms of an ear infection. You can use over-the-counter (OTC) treatments or consult a doctor if your symptoms don't improve.

Ear infections can be either bacterial or viral infections. They can occur in your middle ear, the part of your ear just behind your eardrum, as well as the outer and inner ear. They often clear up on their own but can be painful due to inflammation or fluid buildup.

Ear infections can be chronic or acute. Acute ear infections are painful but short in duration. Chronic ear infections either don't clear up or recur many times. They can cause damage to the middle and inner ear, which is infrequently permanent.

Keep reading to learn about ear infections, including causes, symptoms, and treatment options.

Common symptoms of ear infections include:

These symptoms might persist or come and go. Symptoms may occur in one or both ears. Pain is usually more severe with a double ear infection, which is an infection in both ears.

Chronic ear infection symptoms may be less noticeable than those of acute ear infections.

Symptoms of an ear infection in children

Along with symptoms seen in adults, such as ear pain and drainage, young children and babies may show other signs of an ear infection, such as:

Usually, ear infections last fewer than 3 days, but they can persist for up to a week.

Children younger than 6 months who have a fever or other ear infection symptoms should see a doctor. Seek medical attention if your child has a fever higher than 102°F (39°C) or severe ear pain.

Ear infections are caused by viruses or bacteria, particularly the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniaeor Haemophilus influenzae. They often result from a blockage of your Eustachian tubes, which causes fluid to build up in your middle ear. Eustachian tubes are small tubes that run from each of your ears directly to the back of your throat.

Causes of Eustachian tube blockage include:

Ear infections can also develop from infected adenoids. Your adenoids are glands on the roof of your mouth behind your nose that help protect your body from infections. Infections can spread from these glands to the nearby ends of your Eustachian tubes.

Risk factors for ear infections

Ear infections occur most commonly in young children because they have short and narrow Eustachian tubes. About 80 percent of children develop an acute ear infection at some point.

Infants who are bottle-fed also have a higher incidence of ear infections than their breastfed counterparts.

Other factors that increase the risk of developing an ear infection are:

altitude changes

changes in temperature and humidity

exposure to cigarette smoke

pacifier use

recent illness or ear infection

being male

low birth weight

lack of access to healthcare

being in daycare

Ear infections usually clear up without intervention, but they may recur. These rare but serious complications may follow an ear infection:

hearing loss

speech or language delay in children, which is more common when there is chronic fluid in the middle ear

mastoiditis (an infection of the mastoid bone in the skull)

meningitis (a bacterial infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord)

ruptured eardrum

While most mild ear infections clear up without intervention, the following treatments can also help:

Home treatment

These methods are effective in relieving the symptoms of a mild ear infection:

Medical treatment

If your symptoms get worse or don't improve, see a doctor. They may prescribe antibiotics if your ear infection is bacterial, chronic, or doesn't appear to be improving.

Antibiotics don't help treat viral infections.

Medical treatment in children

Doctors often take a wait-and-see approach when treating ear infections in children to avoid over-prescribing antibiotics, which can lead to antibiotic resistance.

A doctor may sometimes write you a prescription for antibiotics if symptoms are severe or don't resolve within 2 to 3 days. Alternatively, they may write you a prescription but recommend waiting first to see if your child's symptoms get better after 2 to 3 days.

It's important to finish your entire prescription. Often, a 7- or 10-day prescription of amoxicillin is prescribed.

You shouldn't give children aspirin without their doctor's instruction. Aspirin is a preventable risk factor for developing Reyes' syndrome, a rare disorder that causes brain and liver damage.

Surgery

Surgery may be an option if your ear infection isn't eliminated with the usual medical treatments or if you have many ear infections over a short period.

Most often, ear tubes are placed in your ears to allow fluid to drain out. These tubes are surgically inserted into your eardrums. They eventually fall out and the holes heal over. Sometimes these holes need to be closed surgically.

A myringotomy surgery is another option. During this procedure, a doctor creates a small hole in your eardrum to let fluid drain and to relieve pain. The incision heals within a few days.

In cases that involve enlarged adenoids, surgical removal of your adenoids may be recommended.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends seeing a doctor when your child has:

a fever over 102.2°F

pus, discharge, or fluid leaking from your ear

worsening symptoms

symptoms for more than 2 to 3 days

hearing loss

other concerning symptoms

For adults, it's a good idea to visit a doctor if your symptoms last longer than 2 or 3 days, or you have severe pain or a fever.

A healthcare professional will consider your symptoms and examine your ears with an instrument called an otoscope that has a light and magnifying lens. The examination may reveal:

redness, air bubbles, or pus-like fluid inside the middle ear

fluid draining from the middle ear

a perforation in the eardrum

a bulging or collapsed eardrum

This exam is rarely painful, but some children may be bothered.

Additional tests

Other tests include:

Fluid sample. If your infection is advanced, your doctor may take a sample of the fluid inside your ear and test it to determine whether certain types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are present.

Computed tomography (CT) scan. Your doctor may order a CT scan of your head to determine if the infection has spread beyond your middle ear.

Blood tests. Blood tests can check your immune function.

Tympanometry. Tympanometry allows doctors to measure how well your eardrum responds to changes in air pressure inside your ear.

Acoustic reflectometry. This test measures how much sound is reflected back from your eardrum to indirectly measure the amount of fluid in your ear.

Hearing test. You may need a hearing test, especially if you have chronic ear infections.

The following practices may reduce the risk of ear infection:

washing your hands often

avoiding overly crowded areas

forgoing pacifiers with infants and small children

breastfeeding infants

avoiding secondhand smoke

keeping immunizations up to date

Ear infections are caused by bacteria or viruses in your middle ear, which is the part of your ear behind your eardrum. Most ear infections clear up within about 3 days, but severe infections may need to be treated with antibiotics.

Ear infections are most common in children. It's important to see a doctor if you or your child develop severe pain, a fever over 102.2°F, ear drainage, or other concerning symptoms.

---