Otitis Media

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Introduction BTS recommendations for managing passengers with stable respiratory disease planning air travel were published in Thorax in 2011.1 This followed original guidance published in 20022 and an online update in 2004.3 The 2011 recommendations provided an expert consensus view based on literature reviews, aimed at providing practical advice for lung specialists in secondary care. Recognising that knowledge in this area has grown since 2011, and that updated, pragmatic advice regarding which respiratory patients need specialist assessment is required, the Society has commissioned a new clinical statement. Although air travel appears generally safe for those with respiratory disease assessed previously by a lung specialist,4 a decision to undertake air travel should not be taken lightly. Diverted flights incur significant expense and inconvenience, and a patient whose condition deteriorates during flight can pose huge challenges to airline crew and other passengers. High altitude...

It makes perfect sense to assume that "pain behind your ear" must be related to a problem within your ear, like an infection. But you know what can happen when you assume. Your ear shares its nerve supply with several structures in your head and neck. Ailments like jaw joint inflammation, a dental infection, or a nerve-related headache may be the real culprit producing the pain. To evaluate pain behind your ear—sometimes described as a "headache behind the ear"—your doctor will examine your ear, jaw, mouth, neck, and the nerves, lymph nodes, and skin around your face and scalp. They will also ask you about associated symptoms and may order various blood or imaging tests. Once your doctor has a diagnosis, they will formulate a treatment plan to soothe your pain and treat the underlying problem. This article explains the symptoms of ear pain and how a medical professional goes about the complex process of forming a diagnosis. It al...

Introduction Otitis media with effusion (OME), also known as exudative otitis media or catarrhal otitis media, is one of the most common ear diseases with the main symptom being hearing loss in young children. 1–3 OME is characterized by the presence of middle ear effusion (MEE) behind the intact tympanic membrane with no signs or symptoms of an infection. 4 Some patients are accompanied by mild low-pitched tinnitus and may also be accompanied by mild earache or paroxysmal throbbing pain during the exudative period. 5 Up to 80% of all children experience at least one episode of OME before 10 years of age, and many exhibit long-term complications such as delayed speech, attention deficits, and learning difficulties. Intervention options against OME are largely limited to observation and hearing aids, and patients often require surgical insertion of ventilation tubes through the tympanic membrane. 6,7 Moreover, OME is considered to be one of the most common causes of balance dist...