Most of us prefer to speak more than they prefer to hear, despite of the fact that our body has been designed with two ears and a mouth. But with multiple ears, we come across multiple ear diseases. According to ENT specialists, several people often ignore these diseases until it becomes a serious threat.

On that note, let’s have a look at the 5 most common ear diseases:

1. Ear Infection

Almost every individual suffers at least once of ear infection. It is caused by bacterial pathogen which enters through the tear of the ear skin. It can be characterized by pain, inflammation, redress and smelly discharge from the ear. Its treatment is usually limited to the use of antibacterial medication applied either topically or orally.

2. Swimmer’s Ear

This disease causes inflammation of the ear canal. It is caused by an excess amount of moisture trapped inside the ear canal and can eventually lead to infection as well. It can be characterized by non-smelly discharge along with itching. It can even cause fever and lymph nodes swelling in later stages.

3. Boils in the Ear

This disease occurs due to the bacterial infection on the surface of the ear. It is characterized by a small bump that protrudes from the ear. It is usually accompanied by pain and itchiness. Upon bursting, it may release some pus and discharge. Often it resolves on its own, but painkillers and antibiotics can be prescribed for quicker recovery.

4. Tinnitus

Tinnitus can be easily characterized by experiencing a ringing sound in one or both ears. However, people may also experience a buzzing, clicking, roaring or even hissing sound. It may either be high pitch or low pitch and varies from people to people. Several times healing of this disease happen on their own, but at times sound therapy or tinnitus retraining therapy etc. is done to cure it totally.

5. Barotrauma

Barotrauma in caused due to sudden change of air or water pressure. It usually happens during cruising, scuba diving or mountain hiking. It begins with hearing popping sounds, which leads to dizziness, hearing loss and pain. Decongestants may be prescribed by the doctor to address it. However, in the time of duress ENT specialists advises that yawning, swallowing or chewing can help to ease the pain and relieve the pressure.

In case you encounter any problem associated with ear, which seems to persist or recur, consult an ENT.