Current lifestyle trends leading to ENT issues

DR SHEELU SRINIVAS

CONSULTANT ENT SURGEON

Life is punctuated with problems arising from the ears, nose, and throat.

Minor ailments like colds and pharyngitis incapacitate briefly but remind us how wonderful it is to be well.

EAR NOSE THROAT

• 60% GP Practice

• 75% pediatric practice

• Discuss preventive aspects

What’s changed?

• We lead faster life's & live more on fast foods.

• Our environment… be it office or road or home

• We are gadget lovers.

Common problems

• Allergic rhinitis & Sinusitis

• Sore throats

• Ear-hearing & flying

Allergic Rhinitis

• Less common symptoms include: itchy throat, loss of smell, face pain, headache, and itchy and watery red eyes.

• Common symptoms include: sneezing, a blocked or congested nose, a watery discharge ('runny nose'), and an itchy nose.

• Complications: nasal polyps, rhinosinusitis, chronic cough, asthma

• Common allergens house dust mite, pets, pollens,etc

Non-Allergic Rhinitis

is not due to an allergic reaction. The symptoms can be triggered by cigarette smoke and other pollutants as well as strong odors, alcoholic beverages, and cold. Other causes may include blockages in the nose, a deviated septum, infections, and over-use of medications such as decongestants.

Halitosis• Halitosis or bad breath usually is due to

oral or dental problem. Other common cause is the type of food we eat like spices, garlic soda etc.

Sometimes halitosis can also be due to other chronic medical conditions like

• Gastric reflux

• Sinusitis or post nasal drip

• Chronic lung disease

• Diabetes

• Chronic renal/liver problems

Sore ThroatsCan be viral, bacterial

In adults related to reflux

Need good oral hygiene

Avoid smoking

Reflux Disease

heartburn, sore throats, feeling of something stuck in the throat

Can also come with chronic cough voice change breathing difficulty

Adult Lifestyle Changes To Prevent GERD And LPR

• Avoid eating and drinking within two to three hours prior to bedtime

• Do not drink alcohol

• Eat small meals and slowly

• Limit problem foods:

– Caffeine

– Carbonated drinks

– Chocolate

– Peppermint

– Tomato and citrus foods

• Fatty and fried foods

• Lose weight

• Quit smoking

Ear & gadgets-mobile phones/musical instruments

• So what's the problem? The jury is still out on whether or not mobile phone radiation is harmful to children and Sir William Stewart from the National Radiological Protection Board recommends that children do not use mobile phones for prolonged periods of time.

Austrian study on mobile phone use

• the study's lead researcher, Dr. Hans-Peter Hutter of the Institute of Environmental Health at the Medical University of Vienna, said "high intensity, long duration of mobile phone use might be associated with occurrence of tinnitus. Therefore, we are recommending a far more conscious and cautious way of using mobile phones."

Hearing protection

• protective measures are easily implemented to protect hearing. These include discouraging cell phone use by children and teenagers, using headsets, and reducing the number and length of cell phone calls.

• protective measures are easily implemented to protect hearing. These include discouraging cell phone use by children and teenagers, using headsets, and reducing the number and length of cell phone calls.

Hearing Loss

• 1/12 in India, particularly children

• Conductive

• Sensorineural

• Mixed

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss • whisper is 30 decibels and that a

normal conversation is 60 decibels.

• The sound from an iPod Shuffle has been measured at 115 decibels. sound levels at rock concerts often to be significantly higher than 85 dBA, with some reports suggesting that sound intensity may reach 90 dBA to as high as 122 dBA.

• To experience 85 dBA, listen to an electric shaver or a busy urban street. NIHL is Sensorineural loss

Ears & flying

• Avoid flying when you have a cold or nose block

• Use of nose drops & steaming recommended

Head & neck cancers• Nearly 5% of human cancers originate in

the upper aerodigestive tract, and mortality has hardly changed in recent years.

• The incidence of head and neck cancer has increased slightly, and it is still accompanied by a high rate of morbidity due to impairment of breathing, swallowing, chewing, and speaking despite considerable effort being put into developing alternative treatments and methods to restore form and function.

Snoring & sleep apneas• 45%occasional

• 25%habitual.

• Why is snoring serious?

Social & medical

• It may be obstructive sleep apnea

When loud snoring is interrupted by frequent episodes of totally obstructed breathing, it is known as obstructive sleep apnea. Serious episodes last more than ten seconds each and occur more than seven times per hour. Apnea patients may experience 30 to 300 such events per night. These episodes can reduce blood oxygen levels, causing the heart to pump harder.

Complete Medical assessment –Sleep Study

Surgery in selective adults

Children with obstructive sleep apnea – Adenotonsillectomy definitely helps

Voice & Swallowing

• Voice assessments

• Speech therapy

• Vocal hygiene

• Swallowing assessments

• Swallowing therapies

Hearing Loss/Deafness• One of the most common birth defects is

hearing loss or deafness (congenital), which can affect as many as three of every 1,000 babies born

• undetected and untreated hearing loss has serious consequences on the acquisition of language skills as well as cognition and emotional and social development.

• Early Newborn Screening of Hearing Loss and Intervention (EHDI):

Managing hearing loss

• Conductive- Myringotomy, Tympanoplasty, Stapedotomy,

Mastoid surgery

• Sensorineural - Hearing aids, BAHA, Cochlear Implants

Bone Anchored Hearing Aid

• Bone anchored hearing aids are reserved for patients with conductive and mixed hearing loss. Surgery involves the fixing of a titanium implant just behind the ear, to which is connected an external abutment and a sound processor. Thus, it allows sound to be conducted through the bone rather than through the middle ear ('direct bone conduction').

Cochlear Implants

A cochlear implant is an electronic device that restores partial hearing to the deaf. It is surgically implanted in the inner ear and activated by a device worn outside the ear. Unlike a hearing aid, it does not make sound louder or clearer. Instead, the device bypasses damaged parts of the auditory system and directly stimulates the nerve of hearing, allowing individuals who are profoundly hearing impaired to receive sound.

Marvels of 21st century

True sense conquered a sensory disability

RIGHT CANDIDACY IS A MUST .POST OPERATIVE HABILITATION MANDATORY.

Preventive ENT

• Ear problems-NO BUD ,NO WATER

• Deafness NO NOISE

• Nose ALLERGEN Avoidance

• Throat AVOID REFLUX

THANK YOUWe take for granted the ability to hear, walk straight, smell, breathe freely, speak clearly, sing, and swallow our own saliva easily and without conscious effort.