Table of contents:
- What causes middle ear infection?
- How can ear infections affect brain function?
- Hearing loss
- Brain abscess
- Vertigo and loss of balance
- Meningitis
- Acute mastoiditis
- Paralyzed face
Middle ear infection (otitis media) is one of the "regular" diseases of children. Even so, it does not mean that parents can underestimate this condition and provide minimal care. Long-term ear infections can affect brain performance if not treated properly until it heals. Indeed, what do middle ear infections have to do with brain function?
What causes middle ear infection?
Middle ear infections usually occur when a child's sinus or cold symptoms don't go away, causing mucus to pool in the empty space in the middle ear, which should only fill with air.
Middle ear that is clogged with fluid can increase the risk of bacteria and viruses multiplying in it, causing inflammation. Untreated inflammation in the middle ear can cause the ear to hurt and swell, and even drain pus.
In developed countries, about 90 percent of children develop middle ear infections at least once before entering school age. Usually between the ages of six months and four years.
How can ear infections affect brain function?
Although antibiotics can greatly reduce the danger of ear infections, the risk of serious complications of brain nerve damage, including hearing loss, facial paralysis, meningitis and brain abscess is still possible. So says a report published in the journal Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports. The reason is, the organs in the ear are close to the brain so that the infection from the ear can spread to the brain tissue easily.
The following are the risks of complications of middle ear infections that may occur in brain function:
Hearing loss
The complications of permanent hearing loss due to otitis media are actually quite rare. Approximately 2 out of every 10,000 children who develop middle ear infections but receive minimal treatment can experience hearing loss.
Moderate to serious hearing loss can cause memory loss and other mental abilities such as thinking and making decisions. Experts report that people with hearing loss will also experience brain atrophy or shrinkage. This shrinkage causes brain function to decline. So, hearing loss can indeed spread to brain problems.
Brain abscess
Brain abscess is one of the most serious complications of otitis media infection.
The fluid filled with bacteria that had pooled in the ear can flow to the brain and eventually accumulate there. Over time, the fluid that has accumulated in the brain will turn into pus and increase the pressure in the cavity of the head. A brain abscess can be potentially fatal, causing permanent damage to the brain or even death.
The most common symptoms of a brain abscess are headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, and decreased brain function (including confusion, confusion, difficulty moving and communicating, to weakness in the arms or legs).
Most of the brain abscess fluid can be drained or drained surgically, followed by six to eight weeks of intravenous antibiotic treatment. Although classified as a serious complication, a person's chance of fully recovering from a brain abscess is quite high, namely 70 percent.
Vertigo and loss of balance
Otitis media can cause vertigo because the infective fluid will block the eustachian tube, which is inside the ear. The eustachian tube functions to regulate the air pressure in the ear to remain balanced, as well as to regulate the balance of the body.
Normally when you move or change the position of your head, the inner ear will signal the brain about the position of your head to help maintain proper balance and hearing function.
But if the inner ear is having problems, either because of a viral infection or inflammation of the ear, then the signal that should be sent to the brain will be disrupted. Eventually, you will experience a severe headache typical of vertigo that makes the body easy to falter.
In addition, this disorder can be caused by inflammation of the vestibulococcal nerve in the ear which also causes you to easily lose your balance.
Meningitis
Bacterial and viral ear infections in children and adults can cause meningitis. Meningitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord (meninges).
Symptoms of meningitis include stiff neck, fever and headache. Babies and children also become irritable and sleepy and show little appetite.
In severe cases, meningitis can spread to blood vessels in the brain, causing blood clots, leading to stroke. Inflammation can also cause damage, swelling and bleeding in the brain tissue.
Acute mastoiditis
Acute mastoiditis is an infection that affects the mastoid bone, which is located behind the ear. This condition must be treated immediately to prevent it from progressing to more serious complications.
Paralyzed face
Bell's palsy is another risk of complications from a middle ear infection. Bell's palsy is characterized by facial paralysis due to inflammation and swelling of the peripheral nerves that control the muscles on one side of the face. Paralysis of the facial muscles then causes a deformation on one side of the face. Even so, about 95 percent of middle ear infection patients who experience facial paralysis can recover completely.
