Quite a significant number of people from time to time face such a problem as a feeling of pressure in the ears. According to some sources, at least 20-30% of the world's population has experienced this sensation at least once for no apparent reason. Anyone can experience this pain syndrome - the likelihood of its occurrence practically does not depend on age or gender, nor on social status or financial condition.
If we do not take into account the natural cases of the occurrence of this pressure - when flying on an airplane, diving to great depths, sudden rises to altitude, and so on, then the occurrence of this symptom is a sign of a person’s existing health problems. It is worth noting that the occurrence of pressure in the ear does not mean at all that the problem is associated with this organ - simply all the systems of our body are interconnected and the symptom of the disease can manifest itself in this way.
Isolated cases of feeling pressure in the ears may not be a sign of pathology, but they should not be completely ignored either. If you experience these sensations regularly, and are also accompanied by other alarming symptoms (head pain, nosebleeds, dizziness, nausea, weakness, etc.), then delaying a visit to the doctor is simply unacceptable. A combination of several symptoms or multiple repetitions of one - these cases undoubtedly require examination and an accurate diagnosis.
Symptoms
When visiting a doctor about pressure in the ears, some patients mention other symptoms accompanying this sensation:
- dizziness;
- ear congestion;
- associated pressure in the head;
- various noises of varying degrees of volume (ringing, clicking, hum, etc.);
- acoasmas (auditory non-speech hallucinations);
- nausea and headaches;
- increased sensitivity to sounds or light.
The presence of these additional symptoms gives the doctor reason to suspect a serious illness and suggest that the patient undergo a comprehensive examination. An otolaryngologist can also offer consultations with other specialists, since the alleged ailments may not be within his competence.
Symptoms of hearing loss
But, despite the ability of medicine to restore hearing in the first stages of its deterioration, people often do not pay attention to dizziness and tinnitus, which are signs of high blood pressure and persist for some time after its normalization. This is the most important symptom that abnormalities in the ear have begun.
The symptom of tinnitus is otherwise called tinnitus - this is the subjective perception of sound when no sound stimulus is objectively received from the outside. The development of this sign correlates with strong background activity at any level in the auditory canal.
If you visit an ENT doctor in Novosibirsk in time, conduct an examination and begin treatment, then within one month your hearing will be restored without additional complications. Under other conditions, one can only hope to stabilize hearing and normalize the patient’s quality of life through the use of hearing aids.
Global studies are being carried out all over the world, which are designed to clarify the condition of the hearing organs in people with the pathology arterial hypertension. In one such study, hearing was tested in patients at stages 2 and 3 of hypertension using threshold pure-tone audiometry. All patients were divided into groups:
The first group included patients with stage 2 of the disease - their pressure increased to 160 – 169/100 – 109 mm Hg. and left ventricular hypertrophy was diagnosed.
The second group included patients with stage 3 of the disease - their blood pressure rose to levels of 200 - 209/110 - 119, some were additionally diagnosed with heart failure, and there was a stroke/heart attack in their medical history.
In group 1, hearing remained normal in 25% of patients, and in 50% of patients it was slightly reduced, which could be easily corrected with appropriate treatment. The remaining 25% of patients needed more serious hearing restoration, because the degree of its deterioration was already socially significant and affected their daily life.
In the second group, not a single patient had normal hearing; in addition, all of them were diagnosed with severe deterioration that affected everyday life - this is grade 2 or 3 hearing loss. Such diagnoses require drug therapy and the use of a hearing aid.
Causes
Pressure in the ears occurs due to a number of factors and ailments. These may include serious illnesses and completely harmless ones, for example, prolonged listening to music at high volumes in headphones. The most common causes of pressure in the ears are:
- otosclerosis (bone growth) and inflammation in the middle ear;
- pathologies of a neurological nature (cervical osteochondrosis, pinched vertebrae)
- atherosclerosis of blood vessels in the brain;
- high/low blood pressure of various etiologies (obesity, alcohol and tobacco abuse, depression, stress, heart problems, physical exercise, vascular disorders, etc.);
- injuries of the skull, head;
- tumor (acoustic neuroma) of the auditory nerve;
- otitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, earwax, aerootitis;
- everyday (natural) reasons - long telephone conversations, sleep disturbances, prolonged listening to music, overwork, sudden changes in atmospheric pressure, water getting into the ears, flying on an airplane, diving, etc.
Diagnostic methods
If the patient often suffers from headaches and stuffy ears, it is necessary to contact us for a full examination. A simple examination will only indicate visible deviations from the norm, therefore, to understand a more accurate picture, additional techniques are prescribed:
- tonometry – blood pressure measurement;
- MRI of the head and cervical spine is one of the most informative diagnostic methods, which will indicate hidden disorders and neoplasms;
- blood tests - prescribed to determine the causative agent of bacterial diseases, as well as to assess hormonal balance;
- additional methods for diagnosing diseases of the hearing organ, including audoscopy, smear tests, and ultrasound examination.
The Clinical Brain Institute has modern equipment for diagnosing diseases that are accompanied by headaches and ear congestion. Here you can quickly and accurately determine the underlying disease that causes deterioration in well-being.
Treatment
Obviously, treatment for ear pressure can only begin after a diagnosis has been made. Until the cause is identified, the otolaryngologist is unlikely to be able to prescribe medications or take any other action. In addition, if the cause of the disease is beyond his competence, then it will not be possible to do without the help of an appropriate specialist (therapist, surgeon, neurologist, etc.).
The reception is conducted by specialists
Kirillov Evgeniy Sergeevich
Audiologist
Cost of services
Initial consultation with an audiologist
1200₽
Repeated consultation with an audiologist
1000₽
Treatment of headaches and ear congestion
Treatment tactics are selected individually, depending on the cause of the headache and ear congestion, as well as the patient’s age, concomitant diseases and other factors. To eliminate both the root cause and symptoms of diseases, the following methods can be proposed:
- antibiotic therapy is the main stage in the treatment of bacterial inflammatory processes, as well as the prevention of purulent complications;
- symptomatic treatment , which includes anti-inflammatory, painkillers, ear drops;
- surgical methods - necessary to remove sulfur plugs, neoplasms, as well as to extract the contents of the paranasal sinuses for sinusitis;
- physiotherapy – prescribed for chronic ENT diseases.
Doctors at the Clinical Institute of the Brain prescribe a minimum of therapeutic techniques that will bring maximum results. Here are specialists of a wide and narrow profile with many years of experience in treating various diseases that manifest themselves as headaches and hearing impairment.
The connection between blood pressure and ears
If a person excludes the occurrence of otorhinolaryngological diseases, he begins to wonder at what pressure the ear becomes clogged.
Most often, this phenomenon is encountered by people with arterial hypertension, who have had a heart attack or acute cerebrovascular accident.
Factors that provoke pressure fluctuations are the following conditions:
- excess weight;
- low level of activity;
- blood loss trauma;
- great effort;
- hereditary predisposition.
These factors create conditions for impaired blood flow and narrowing of blood vessels. Hearing loss is caused by several factors: intracranial, blood pressure and atmospheric pressure.
Clogged ears due to low pressure
If blood pressure is low, organs have poor blood supply and lack of oxygen. At the same time, the outflow of carbon dioxide is obstructed. Due to an imbalance in the acid-base balance, metabolic products accumulate in the body and stagnation occurs.
Weak vascular tone disrupts venous outflow, so hypotension is often accompanied by ear congestion. Associated symptoms:
- Eyelashes;
- mild nausea;
- increased drowsiness;
- frequent fainting;
- systematic dizziness.
A person with hypotension gets significantly worse when their blood pressure drops below 60.
Clogged ears: a sign of illness or congestion
Often, hearing impairment or loss can be due to a cold with complications in the form of the development of inflammatory processes. Clogged ears are a symptom, not a disease, but in any case it is recommended to get examined.
A visit to the doctor is necessary if:
- the cold has passed, but the symptom of congestion remains;
- hearing impairment persists for several days and pain develops;
- discharge appears from the auricle, often purulent;
- dizziness appears.
General weakness, decreased tone, and increased temperature during inflammatory processes may develop.
The presence of these signs poses a certain health risk, so you should visit a doctor and undergo examinations.
Independent treatment measures are contraindicated, because may cause serious complications. Especially in the case of uncontrolled use of medications.
Methods for relieving congestion
Once the diagnosis is established, treatment can begin. If it is otitis, then only after removing the lesion or ear plug will it be possible to combat the symptoms.
To treat inflammation, antibiotics are prescribed, which begin to act 2-3 days after the start of treatment.
If you pay attention to congestion in the ears and nose in the first 24 hours, you can use vasoconstrictors to relieve tissue swelling. The next day they will be ineffective.
During a hypertensive crisis, it is necessary to reduce blood pressure to avoid cerebral hemorrhage. To counteract this, there are a number of agents with different mechanisms of action (clonidine, benzolexonium, magnesium sulfate). With high blood pressure.
these drugs are administered intravenously.
It is necessary to assess the condition of the blood vessels and also check for the presence of arterial hypertension. Preventing a crisis involves taking medications to prevent high blood pressure. They should be taken continuously, without skipping days.
It is important to choose the optimal dose to prevent blood pressure surges. Fluctuations in atmospheric pressure cannot be eliminated; you need to wait out unfavorable conditions.
Diagnostic measures
Since the list of diseases that cause clogged ears is known, the diagnosis includes:
- Blood tests;
- examination of the external auditory canal;
- X-ray examination;
- MRI, CT scan;
- angiography;
- measuring blood pressure with a tonometer.
The first examination allows you to find out the presence of an inflammatory process and infection. During the examination, the ENT determines whether it is otitis media or an accumulation of earwax.
X-ray examination allows you to determine the presence of sinusitis and inflammation. The condition of soft tissues, circulatory disorders, and the presence of a tumor are shown by computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and angiography.
The simplest test method is to measure blood pressure. Performed manually or automatically. A cuff is placed on the arm, and air is pumped into the blood vessels using a bulb.
The beginning of the pulsation is recorded by a phonendoscope, as is its termination. This second number is the diastolic pressure.
Ear congestion due to high blood pressure
Blood vessel spasms, which cause high blood pressure, occur for a variety of reasons. Arterial hypertension or another disease accompanied by symptomatic hypertension cannot be excluded. During an embolism caused by high blood pressure, a person experiences throbbing pain in the back of the head and nausea.
Due to increased intracranial pressure, the head begins to spin, the face turns red, tachycardia appears, and the ears become clogged. After blood pressure normalizes, the symptoms disappear, hearing and well-being return. Nasal congestion occurs when upper blood pressure is ≥ 150.
What to do if there is wax in your ears?
Often you want to take a cotton swab and just clean out the earwax. You cannot do this if you feel stuffy. It is necessary to make an appointment with a specialist who will assess the degree of congestion and its cause, and then provide professional medical assistance. The ear plug is washed with special tools; this process takes a couple of minutes and does not cause any pain. After rinsing, it is important to follow the rules of ear care; the doctor may also prescribe drops in the ears.
Meniere's disease: rare, but accurate
Of course, suspecting and diagnosing any disease is the prerogative of a specialist.
Meniere's disease is considered quite rare. In different countries, according to statistics, it affects from 20 to 200 people per 100,000 population. Women are almost twice as likely as men. The average age of patients is 40 years, and it almost never occurs in children.
But for whom does this make it easier if you are faced with the symptoms described above? In addition to Meniere's disease, they can signal other unhealthy and downright dangerous conditions, for example:
- benign positional paroxysmal vertigo;
- vestibular migraine;
- vestibular neuronitis;
- bilateral vestibulopathy;
- functional dizziness;
- stroke;
- brain tumors.
Therefore, if there are obvious disturbing symptoms, without delay, you need to make an appointment at the clinic with a therapist, ENT specialist, or directly at a specialized center. Establishing a diagnosis is not difficult for a specialist, but only after a set of diagnostic examinations.
Prevention methods
At home, you should follow simple recommendations from doctors. They will help prevent the development of diseases that cause headaches, ear congestion and general deterioration in well-being. The set of preventive measures includes:
- protection of the head and ears from hypothermia;
- proper nutrition with enough vitamins at any time of the year;
- timely treatment of colds.
The Clinical Brain Institute offers all the conditions for high-quality and comfortable treatment of disorders that cause headaches and ear congestion. There is also timely equipment located here, thanks to which you can quickly and accurately determine the cause of poor health and make an accurate diagnosis.
Stuffed ear and won’t go away: what to do
When discomfort and a feeling of stuffiness appear in the ear, you cannot immediately take ear sticks and start clearing the passages. Such measures can lead to a worsening of the situation: the plug is pushed in further, becomes denser over time and can cause the development of infectious inflammation and temporary hearing loss.
The following effective ways to “pierce” the ear are practiced:
- use chewing gum or eat candy;
- yawn, straining your vocal cords;
- take a deep breath, cover your nose and mouth with your hands and exhale slowly;
- sharp tilt of the head with straight shoulders. Pull your ear up.
In parallel with the last technique, you can use the following techniques:
- take a deep breath, cover your nose with your hand and slowly exhale through the closed nose, pushing the air;
- hold your nose with your hand and make a swallowing movement;
- strain your vocal cords with your mouth and nose closed.
