Mastoiditis: Symptoms, Causes And Treatment
Mastoiditis is a pathology that responds to an infection of the mastoid process or mastoid bone of the skull. According to various studies, acute otitis media (AOM) or inflammation of the middle ear is correlated with this disease.
Although its severity decreases due to the availability and use of antibiotics in the general population, knowing the nature of this infection is essential, since according to bibliographic sources, ear disorders correspond to almost 40% of children’s visits to the pediatrician .
For all these reasons, knowing how to detect an inflammation in the ear canal of the infant quickly can save many health problems in the long term. Here we tell you everything you need to know about mastoiditis.
About hearing problems and the population
Ear infections (including mastoiditis) are a very common pediatric problem. Various studies show us data to put the epidemiological situation of these diseases into perspective:
- Up to 80% of children have suffered some type of otitis throughout their first three years of life.
- The incidence of these pathologies increases in autumn and winter, since their origins are viral and bacterial.
- According to the samples analyzed, 20% to 30% of children with mastoiditis have experienced otitis media before.
- Therefore, this disorder is considered the most common complication of acute otitis media.
Thus, we can observe that ear infections have an age distribution character. Children are the most affected and those most likely to have complications.
What is mastoiditis?
As we have already said, this pathology is an acute infection of the mastoid cells of the temporal bone, which leads to a prolonged suppurative process of the middle ear. If the clinical picture becomes complicated, according to pediatric journals, bone destruction can occur.
As mentioned, up to 30% of mastoiditis cases are related to acute otitis media (AOM), since the infection can spread to the mastoid bone. Despite being the most common complication, it is estimated that only 0.24% of AOMs lead to mastoiditis, that is, there would be 2 to 4 cases out of every 100,000 episodes.
What are your symptoms?
The United States National Library of Medicine lists the most common symptoms of mastoiditis. These are as follows:
- Pus or fluid discharge from the ear: it is usually a thick substance that denotes the infectious process.
- Pain or discomfort in the ear: it is earache, which can also be present from AOM.
- Fever: with its typical symptoms, such as headache and generalized muscle pain.
- Hearing loss: if the obstruction due to the accumulation of pus is significant, the transmission of sound will be reduced.
- Redness of the ear and swelling.
Despite its relatively harmless nature, complications can occur, such as spread of the infection to the brain, dizziness, facial paralysis, or meningitis. In any case, the most common symptoms in all patients are fever and earache.
What are your causes?
According to sources already cited, this pathology was one of the most common causes of death in children when antibiotics did not exist. Despite the fact that the disease is much more controlled and the prognosis is positive, the literature documents an increase in annual cases in certain regions.
As it is an infection of the middle ear that spreads to the mastoid bone, we are facing an episode linked to colonization by bacteria. The most common are Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae.
The accumulation of fluid, product of the infection in the cells of the mastoid bone and its subsequent inflammation, is the cause of the previously mentioned earache, fever and hearing loss.
What is your treatment?
The first treatment option is always the application of broad-spectrum antibiotics in the patient, while draining the accumulated fluid is recommended. These material removal punctures serve both diagnostic and symptom relief purposes.
This disease can be difficult to treat , as the medications may not reach the necessary depth of the bone. Therefore, antibiotics are applied by skin pricks followed by oral administrations.
If antibiotic treatment is not effective, surgery may be required. In the surgical approach, part of the mastoid bone is extracted and a lavage with drainage is performed. The entire procedure is known as a mastoidectomy .
Mastoiditis is a complication of otitis
As we have seen, mastoiditis is a complication of an infection in the middle ear. Its incidence is very low, because as we have said, only 2 to 4 cases out of 100,000 patients derive from it.
Despite its positive prognosis, the disease can be difficult to cure and relapses sometimes occur. Therefore, at the slightest indication of an infection in the hearing system, it is essential to go to the doctor. The sooner it is treated, the less likely there will be complications.
