Senior Consultant - ENT, Head Neck Surgery

Cold, in general, is a common cold, which is a viral infection that causes sneezing, fever, nasal blockage, running nose, body aches, etc. Usually, the treatment for this is to keep yourself warm, avoid intake of cold items, and travel. This is a treatable condition and also it is self-limiting.

Allergy is a condition in which your body reacts to a foreign substance. The symptoms are itching nose, sneezing, etc are self-limiting. Allergic tablets will help settle down symptoms.

Multiple factors like environment, and the temperature in which allergens are already present.

Prevention and treatment in the form of medication will help from affecting allergies. Also, Allergy type can be identified with the blood test and skin prick test.

Usually, infants are not prone to outside allergens like dust and pollen. Sometimes, they can have allergic reactions to food.

Yes, the more you get exposed to allergens, the worse it gets worse. Medications such as Antihistamines and intranasal treatment can help get rid of allergies.

The lifestyle modifications to avoid allergens are identifying the allergens and its causes may be from outside as well as the inside environment, including open windows, dust particles, vacuum cleaning, dry testing, etc.

Yes, in the majority of cases, nasal allergies trigger asthma. Hence, allergy has to be treated at the nasal level itself.

If you experience any allergy symptoms like swelling, rash, itching, and shortness of breath. It is better to avoid cold items and take early precautions.

Humidifiers are used to increase moisture inside the home. They can help reduce allergy symptoms and improve the health of the mucous membranes of the airway. However, Humidifiers should be maintained properly to avoid the risk of worsening allergy symptoms.

• Ear stroke or sudden sensorineural hearing loss is mostly an unexplained, rapid loss of hearing either all at once or over a few days, frequently affecting only one ear. An ear stroke is a medical emergency, and prompt treatment is crucial. Early action can prevent permanent hearing loss.
• A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or reduced, preventing brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients. Brain cells begin to die in minutes. Similarly, ear stroke happens when the blood supply to the inner ear is reduced or there is swelling or inflammation of the nerve concerned with hearing.
• Even though the decreased blood supply to the nerve is the most common cause of very rare bacterial infections, tumours trauma, some medications, and autoimmune diseases can cause sudden loss of hearing.
• The incidence of sudden SNHL has been estimated to range from 5 to 20 per 100,000 persons per year.

The most common presentation is a patient noticing unilateral hearing loss on awakening.

When one feels a sudden change in hearing sensitivity, like
 - Muffled hearing
 - Difficulty understanding speech
 - Sudden or steady loss of hearing
 - Full or “stuffy” sensation in the ear
 - associated with ringing in the ear or dizziness(40%) one should suspect ear stroke.

If you feel any of the above symptoms, then consult the ENT specialist in Bangalore.

Viral neuritis or cochleitis has long been thought to be the most common cause of sudden SNHL, which means inflammation or viral infection of the nerve or cochlea.

Other rare causes are bacterial infections of the ear, trauma, autoimmune conditions, tumours, and vitamin deficiencies. Consult the best ENT doctor in Bangalore if you have any of the risk factors.

Any condition which can affect the blood supply to the inner ear should be identified and treated, which means if you have diabetes hypertension, hypothyroidism,   systemic lupus erythematosus,  granulomatosis with polyangiitis, polyarteritis nodosa, relapsing polychondritis, sarcoidosis, Meniere’s disease has to be adequately treated.

If you feel that there is a sudden decrease in hearing or blocked feeling in one ear, you should immediately consult the best ENT doctor in Bangalore to check the ears and get a hearing test. The response to treatment is much better if you start treatment at the earliest as if the nerve cells start dying they won’t regenerate.

If you don’t treat it in time it can cause permanent hearing disability

The main treatment for ear stroke is to start high-dose intravenous steroids at the earliest for a period of 3 days followed by oral steroids. Usually, we prefer the patient to get admitted to the hospital for IV steroids so that the fluctuations in BP and sugars can be monitored. We also start on antivirals,  some drugs to improve the blood flow to the nerve. An MRI Brain would be performed to look for any tumours or lesions in the brain or course of the nerve. The patient has also been advised of blood tests like blood sugars, complete blood count, lipid profile, thyroid profile, vitamin levels, etc.

Two case studies of patients suffering from ear stroke (a small brief).

A 27-year-old healthy male presented to ENT OPD with a history of sudden onset of right-sided ear block when he got up in the morning. There was no history of cold or cough. We examined the ears and found that his ear canal was clean and his eardrum was looking normal. He was sent for a hearing test which showed more than a 90% decrease in hearing on the right side. We immediately admitted him and started on medications as described above.MRI Brain was done which was normal. Blood tests were normal except for low Vitamin D levels. So Vitamin D supplements were started. He received 3 days of high-dose steroids and the hearing test was repeated on day 3 which showed little improvement. He was reassured and asked to continue with oral steroids for 15 days and other medications. After 15 days the hearing test was repeated and was found to be normal which emphasizes the need for urgent treatment.

A 54-year-old poorly controlled diabetic female presented with a history of left-sided sudden onset hearing loss for 7 days. The hearing test showed an 80 % decrease in hearing. Treatment was started as per protocol. Diabetic control was achieved. Hearing tests on day 3 and day 15 showed no marked improvement in hearing. The emphasis on treatment should be on timely treatment and control of contributory medical conditions.