Three Types Of Allergy
Your ear has three major sections, all of which can be affected by allergies.
Outer ear: Allergic skin reactions can cause ear itching and swelling of both the outer ear and ear canal. Some individuals may be allergic to their laundry detergent, fragrance or earrings. Others may have allergies to household pets, especially dogs and cats.
Middle ear: If swelling blocks the opening to your middle ear, your Eustachian tube may not be able to drain properly. This can cause fluid and pressure to build up, giving you a feeling of fullness in the affected ear and providing a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and subsequent infection. This fluid buildup may also trigger balance problems, such as vertigo, giving you a feeling of being dizzy and light headed.
Inner ear: Allergies may also contribute to hearing loss for people who have Meniere’s disease.
Are Your Child’s Ear Infections Allergy Related
- 27 Feb, 2018
A recurring ear infection is a medical condition that many children suffer from there are more than 30 million cases of ear infections in doctors’ offices yearly. There is a link between ear infections and food allergies in children, which is something you need to talk to your doctor about. Discover how ear infections and food allergies may be related in your child and how to see the signs that your child may have a food allergy that needs their pediatrician’s attention.How Ear Infections and Food Allergies Are Connected
Signs of Food AllergiesRunny NoseItchy Skin/HivesEar/Throat Infections
Care Advice For Ear Congestion
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Who Is Most Likely To Get An Ear Infection
Middle ear infection is the most common childhood illness . Ear infections occur most often in children who are between age 3 months and 3 years, and are common until age 8. Some 25% of all children will have repeated ear infections.
Adults can get ear infections too, but they dont happen nearly as often as they do in children.
Risk factors for ear infections include:
- Age: Infants and young children are at greater risk for ear infections.
- Family history: The tendency to get ear infections can run in the family.
- Colds: Having colds often increases the chances of getting an ear infection.
- Allergies: Allergies cause inflammation of the nasal passages and upper respiratory tract, which can enlarge the adenoids. Enlarged adenoids can block the eustachian tube, preventing ear fluids from draining. This leads to fluid buildup in the middle ear, causing pressure, pain and possible infection.
- Chronic illnesses: People with chronic illnesses are more likely to develop ear infections, especially patients with immune deficiency and chronic respiratory disease, such as cystic fibrosis and asthma.
- Ethnicity: Native Americans and Hispanic children have more ear infections than other ethnic groups.
How Are Your Ears Affected
Our ears are made up of three parts the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. Allergic reactions can cause the outer ear to itch or swell. The middle ear contains the Eustachian tube, which acts as a drainage tube of sorts. When mucus clogs the middle ear it affects that drainage. Pressure builds, which can lead to discomfort, popping in the ears or an earache. Your middle ear may itch as well. The inner ear is filled with fluid, and if this fluid becomes infected, you may suffer dizziness, ringing in the ear or loss of balance.
Sometimes a stuffy nose and sinus pressure can radiate to the ears, causing pressure or earaches.
Some people experience a short-term hearing loss due to an allergic reaction. This is known as conductive hearing loss and usually is temporary and resolves itself when the allergies subside.
Young children commonly experience middle ear infections, which may be triggered by allergies. These infections are known as otitis media. If these occur often, a professional may recommend allergy tests.
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Treatment For Inner Ear Infection
Infection in the ear is likely to occur in any of the three parts of the ear outer, middle and inner parts of the ear. Also, infection in the ear is a serious matter.
Therefore, it is important to treat the infection in order to prevent complications, which includes damaging or rupturing the eardrum and much more.
Diagnosis is a prior process of treatment. An audiologist will observe your ears with an otoscope. Then it will be followed by the hearing test. Your treatment will depend on the underlying causes of infections.
Individuals who have been diagnosed with an inner ear infection are advised to go for proper treatment.
Availing treatment for infection of the inner ear is mandatory for both children and adults. This is greatly achieved by seeking a professional doctor at a healthcare institution in your area.
In addition to using antibiotics, other medications may also be given to persons having an infection in the inner ear in order to reduce swelling and inflammation.
These are useful to treat an inner ear infection, to reduce swelling and inflammation, to treat nausea and vomiting, and to help eliminate dizziness and vertigo.
Following are some methods you can use to treat your inner ear infection:
Michele Rosenbaum Vmd Dacvd
Born in North-Central NJ, Dr. Rosenbaum received her VMD with honors from the University of Pennsylvania. After 4 years of private small animal practice in northern NJ, she returned to the University of Pennsylvania and completed her residency in Dermatology and Allergy, obtaining board certification from the American College of Veterinary Dermatology, then continued as a Lecturer in dermatology at Penn. She then joined a multi-specialty referral practice in Rochester, New York where she practiced for 10 years before joining Zoetis. Dr. Rosenbaum has lectured extensively and has published articles on a wide variety of dermatology topics. Her areas of particular interest include canine and feline allergic dermatitis and management of recurrent and resistant pyoderma.
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When Should I Call The Doctor About An Ear Infection
- You or your child develops a stiff neck.
- Your child acts sluggish, looks or acts very sick, or does not stop crying despite all efforts.
- Your childs walk is not steady he or she is physically very weak.
- You or your childs ear pain is severe.
- You or your child has a fever over 104° F .
- Your child is showing signs of weakness in their face .
- You see bloody or pus-filled fluid draining from the ear.
- The fever remains or comes back more than 48 hours after starting an antibiotic.
- Ear pain is not better after three days of taking an antibiotic.
- Ear pain is severe.
- You have any questions or concerns.
How To Keep Hearing Aids Dry
To make sure hearing aids stay working properly when the weather changes, be sure to wear a hat or use an umbrella when going out in the rain. Youll also want to dry your hair and ears thoroughly after showering prior to putting in your hearing aids. Lastly, in addition to regular cleaning, use a hearing aid dehumidifier overnight or anytime your hearing aids are exposed to excess moisture.
If you suspect hearing loss, be sure to see a hearing healthcare professional if your hearing problems persist after the barrage of wet weather, sudden barometric changes and allergy season ends, so you can enjoy the beautiful sounds of springtime for years to come.
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What Causes Allergy Symptoms
The immune systems job is to protect your body from diseases, viruses and infections. But for people with allergies, the immune system mistakes harmless substances, known as allergens, like pollen, pet dander, dust mites, mold and certain foods as dangerous intruders and attacks.
To fight the intruder, the immune system releases antibodies called Immunoglobulin E , which causes your cells to release histamine. Histamine increases mucus production and causes inflammation. In short, its this chemical thats responsible for your allergy symptoms.
Can A Peanut Butter Allergy Cause Inner Ear Infections
An allergy to peanut butter is probably caused by an allergy to peanuts. Such allergies are the immune system’s overreaction to harmless substances. Instead of letting you enjoy peanut butter, your body attacks the proteins in peanuts by releasing antibodies called immunoglobulin E. The antibodies then release chemicals, including histamine, to kill off the invading peanut allergen. Your body responds to these chemicals with a variety of allergic symptoms. These symptoms can include skin problems, respiratory issues, stomach disturbances and worse.
Research has shown that there might be a link between food allergies — peanut allergies included — and middle ear infections. Middle ear infections are the type that kids commonly get, where fluid is trapped behind the eardrum and bacteria grow, causing an earache. They usually go away on their own, though doctors can prescribe antibiotics, too. Inner ear infections are less understood they typically cause intense vertigo. There’s no evidence so far that allergies can cause an inner ear infection.
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How Does My Vet Know If My Dog Has An Ear Infection Related To Allergies
A good physical exam and exam down into the ear canals is the first step. The next step is usually cytology, evaluation under the microscope, of the material in the ear to look for yeast and bacteria.
Based on these results, an initial ear medication can be started. Treatment is typically recommended to last for 2-3 weeks, then the ears must be rechecked to ensure the infection has fully resolved. If the infection is still present after the initial treatment course, your vet may recommend a Culture and Sensitivity test to submit to the lab. This way, the bacteria can be grown, identified, and certain antibiotics can be tested to see which one is the next best option for treatment. Not all bacteria respond to the same antibiotic and dogs with allergies that have been on and off ear medications multiple times have a higher risk of developing more severe bacterial infections with more resistance to available antibiotics.
Its critical that your dog comes back in for the recommended recheck exam, often 2-3 weeks after starting treatment. We need to be sure the infection has completely resolved. Dogs with allergic otitis can have harder to treat ear infections and more frequent ear infections due to the allergy trigger.
What Causes An Ear Infection
Ear infections are caused by bacteria and viruses. Many times, an ear infection begins after a cold or other respiratory infection. The bacteria or virus travel into the middle ear through the eustachian tube . This tube connects the middle ear to the back of the throat. The bacteria or virus can also cause the eustachian tube to swell. This swelling can cause the tube to become blocked, which keeps normally produced fluids to build up in the middle ear instead of being able to be drained away.
Adding to the problem is that the eustachian tube is shorter and has less of a slope in children than in adults. This physical difference makes these tubes easier to become clogged and more difficult to drain. The trapped fluid can become infected by a virus or bacteria, causing pain.
Medical terminology and related conditions
Because your healthcare provider may use these terms, its important to have a basic understanding of them:
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Treatment Of Ear Infections
In general, uncomplicated ear infections with fever less than 102 degrees Fahrenheit will resolve on their own. Pain can be relieved with over-the-counter ibuprofen or acetaminophen. If you or your child are having frequent ear infections, your healthcare provider may recommend the surgical placement of ventilation tubes to help your Eustachian tube stay open.
How Do Allergies Cause Ear Infections In Dogs
Allergies cause the skin barrier to break down and increase the wax production in the ear canal. This allows the low number of normal yeast and bacteria on the skin and in the ear to overproduce and allow more severe strains of bacteria to thrive. This leads to increased inflammation, pain, and discharge from the ear.
Dogs with seasonal allergies tend to get ear infections around the same season each year. Dogs with food allergies or non-seasonal environmental allergies may have ear infections recurring throughout the year.
Since dogs with allergic otitis will have repeated ear infections, this chronic inflammation can cause the ear canal tissue to scar, become calcified, and reduce the opening of the ear canals. This makes treatment even harder as the medication has a hard time reaching the deeper ear canal regions.
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When To See A Doctor
It is best for a person experiencing any ear pain to see a doctor. They will be able to confirm if an allergy or infection is causing the ear pain. They will also be able to rule out other potential causes.
If the doctor believes that allergies are causing the ear pain, they may refer the person to an allergist or immunologist for a thorough diagnosis.
If a person has symptoms of an ear infection that do not improve over 48â72 hours, they should see their doctor.
Diagnosing Your Dogs Ear Infection
Your veterinarian is your best resource to help you figure out if it is an ear infection, and not a painful foxtail or something else lodged in the ear canal. Then if it is an infection, they can diagnose the cause and give you advice on the best treatment options. Chronic or recurrent, non-seasonal ear infections may be due to a food allergy, while those that have a more seasonal pattern are often due to an underlying environmental allergy .
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Risk Factors For Ear Infections
People that are more likely to develop ear infections:
- Children under the age of 3: Their developing immune system and small size leave them susceptible to ear infections. Only 1 out of 6 children do not contract an ear infection before their third birthday.
- Children in groups: children in groups a more exposed to infections such as the common cold
- Bottle-fed babies: Babies that lie down during feeding can get formula in their Eustachian tubes.
Environments that are likely to cause ear infections:
- Fall and Winter: Viruses are active most during this time
- Summer: allergies are peaking during this time
Are There Conventional Medicines To Help Me
Initially, a doctor or pharmacist is likely to recommend anti-histamines to help to ease all symptoms of seasonal allergies and a nasal decongestant to help clear the Eustachian tubes. However, if your earache persists, they may check for signs of infection. If this is the case, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics or drops.
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How Do Allergies Cause Ear Infections
When your body is allergic to something, one of its ways of protecting you from the potential threat of the allergen is to produce excess mucus as a means of keeping allergen particles from entering the rest of your body. Meanwhile, when the allergen does come into contact with your sinus tissues, those tissues can become enlarged and inflamed.
All of these reactionsthe inflammation, the excess mucus, and the issues with chronic sinus drainagecan lead to ear infections. When excess mucus is unable to exit the body, many patients experience chronic drainage issues, including a buildup of fluid and puss in the middle ear.
And like your sinus tissues, the membrane surrounding the eustachian tube can also become inflamed. When this happens a build-up of fluid and pressure can occur in the middle ear, leading to a painful ear infection.
Remedies For Inner Ear Infections
Do you need antibiotics?
If you have a bacterial inner ear infection, you may need an antibiotic. However, most inner ear infections are caused by viruses, not bacteria. Antibiotics arent effective against viral infections. For viral infections, your doctor will suggest treatment options to control your inflammation and help with your symptoms.
What treatments can help?
If you have a viral inner ear infection, your doctor may prescribe a steroid treatment to reduce inflammation or antiviral medication to attack the virus.
What are some inner ear infection home remedies?
Besides medication, there are steps you can take at home to ease the symptoms of an inner ear infection. For example:
- Keep your head upright as much as possible. Sitting or standing can help to drain the ear.
- Apply a warm compress to the affected ear to relieve pain.
- Avoid smoking and drink as little alcohol as possible.
- Reduce your stress levels, since tension can worsen symptoms.
For labyrinthitis, specifically, to combat dizziness and nausea, you can try:
- Resting in a dark, quiet place
- Drinking plenty of water, especially if your nausea leads to vomiting
- Keeping your vision focused in one place instead of glancing around at your surroundings
- Going for walks as soon as you feel you can, with someone for support until you get your balance back
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