The temperature is warm and cold, and there are not a few people who have colds, and many patients still have severe colds. A few days ago, a netizen posted that he was diagnosed with acute otitis media because he had a huge ear pain on a plane after a severe cold. This incident has attracted the attention of many netizens, and many netizens have also shared similar experiences.
In this regard, Ni Rongsheng, director of the Department of Otolaryngology of Nanjing Jiangbei Hospital, explained that the function of the eustachian tube does decline after a severe cold, which is an important reason for affecting the eardrum.
A few days ago, netizen "Qin Dayu" posted on social platforms that he had a fever since the third day of the Lunar New Year and took a plane back to Beijing on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. On the plane back to Beijing, I felt a huge pain in my ears due to the change in air pressure, "It is definitely not the discomfort of ordinary flights, and I want to see an emergency department for ear pain that night." "Qin Dayu" said that he immediately went to the hospital the next day and was diagnosed with acute otitis media, "It is the first time to experience this hot knowledge." ”
If it's serious, it will be perforated, from the experience of a former flight attendant" "I just experienced it during the Spring Festival, and it was useless to swallow and open my mouth wide" "I didn't know before, I just had a cold and took a plane, and when I woke up on the plane, I suddenly felt like my ears were blindfolded, which scared me" ......In the comment area of the "Pro-Big Fish" post, "patients" with similar experiences gathered together.
So why is it easy to have earache and even otitis media when you have a severe cold, and is there a scientific basis? In an interview, Ni Rongsheng, director of the otolaryngology department of Nanjing Jiangbei Hospital, affirmed this "hot knowledge". He said it had to do with a lumen in the body called the Eustachian tube. "One end of the Eustachian tube is in the nasopharynx behind the nasal cavity, and the other end is in a cavity called the tympanic cavity behind the eardrum. According to experts, the eustachian tube is a very thin tube connecting the nasal cavity and the ear, and its main function is to regulate the pressure of the tympanic chamber, and also has the effect of drainage, if there is liquid in the tympanic chamber, the liquid can be discharged.
Normally, the Eustachian tube is "closed" and "opens" when you yawn, swallow, or pinch your nose. "When we take a plane, especially when we take off and land, we will feel stuffy in our ears, because the pressure of the air outside the eardrum changes, so at this time, swallowing saliva, yawning and other actions make the eustachian tube open, which also helps to regulate the pressure inside and outside the eardrum. So the Eustachian tube plays a big role when you fly the plane, and the same goes for you when you dive. ”
When you have a severe cold, most of the nasal passages are clogged with a lot of secretions, resulting in the pharyngeal opening leading to the nasopharynx of the Eustachian tube being blocked by secretions, and it may also be blocked due to nasal inflammation, causing the pharyngeal opening of the Eustachian tube to swell. "In this case, the function of the eustachian tube decreases or even loses, whether it is yawning or swallowing, its tube cannot be opened, and the large pressure difference between the inside and outside may lead to damage to the eardrum, which can cause otitis media at least and perforation of the eardrum at worst," Ni Rongsheng explained.
Therefore, experts conclude that there is indeed some basis for the statement that "patients with severe colds try not to fly". "If you have to travel, you can take some cold medicine that contains a medicine that constricts the turbinates, or take some medicine to help clear nasal secretions. It can also be improved by rinsing the nasal passages. Ni Rongsheng reminded that if there is obvious ear pain after taking the plane, or even if there is no pain, the feeling of "stuffiness" in the ear is still not relieved after one or two hours after getting off the plane, you should seek medical attention in time. "If you don't pay attention in time, the gas behind the eardrum after the Eustachian tube is blocked will be slowly absorbed, causing negative pressure to produce oozing, and it may also lead to adhesions, which is even more troublesome. ”
*: Yangtze Evening News, Lu Yanlin).