fluid in sinuses?

[Spratman]

I was to the doctor last night about a Dengue Fever check. I asked the PA to check my ears because it seems like I had water in them and the left one hurts if I pull on it even gently.

She looked in both ears and told me I have fluid in my sinuses, pressing against my eardrum. I don't have any sinus problem, everything seems pretty clear. I've never heard of this one. Will decongestants resolve this? She didn't say anything to me about treatment.

TIA,

Jack

 

[TSandM]

I hope that she didn't say that

The sinuses are air-filled spaces within the bones of the skull and face. They have drainage pathways into the nasopharynx (nose, and the area behind the nose). They are quite separate from the middle ear. Fluid in the sinuses can occur from inflammatory or infectious processes in the sinuses, or from blockage of the draining pathways (as the sinuses are lined by mucous-secreting cells). But that fluid won't be seen in, or impact, the middle ear at all.

Fluid that's visible behind the eardrum is in the middle ear. The most common cause of this kind of fluid in divers is barotrauma. Any time you descend, the pressure in the fluid part of your body goes up, but the pressure in the air spaces doesn't, unless they are equalized. If you're late to clear your ears, some fluid, by hydrostatic forces, seeps out of the capillaries and into the air space of the middle ear. If you're sufficiently late, those small capillaries may actually burst, and there may be some blood in the fluid, creating an appearance that mimics a middle ear infection.

The main treatment for fluid accumulations in the middle ear is time, although decongestants, topical or oral, may help open the Eustachian tube and hasten the drainage of the fluid. The prevention is earlier or more thorough equalization of the ears.

 

[Spratman]

Thanks for the response, Doc! Well, she actually did say that, that is why I found it strange.

Barotrauma, eh? Well, I guess it was bound to happen. I have always done pretty well with clearing my ears. Guess not good enough. Well, I don't foresee diving in the next couple of months, so I'll just wait and see.

I knew I would get a prompt answer.