Ears

Question 1

What is Otalgia? What causes it

Answer 1

Ear pain, caused by ear disease or may be caused from problems with teeth or oropharynx

Question 2

What is the reason for asking if patient has cold symptoms or sore throats accompanying their earache

Answer 2

A virus/bacterium that causes upper respiratory tract infection may migrate up the eustachian tube to involve middle ear

Question 3

What can being hit on the ear/ side of head or a sports injury do to cause an earache

Answer 3

Trauma may rupture the eardrum

Question 4

What do we ask to assess coping strategies

Answer 4

What have you tried in order to relieve the pain

Question 5

What could a history of chronic ear problems suggest?

Answer 5

Possible sequelae ( a condition that is consequential of a previous disease)

Question 6

Repeated ear infections in childhood can lead to

Answer 6

progressive hearing loss

Question 7

What is tympanoplasty

Answer 7

The insertion of tubes into the ear

Question 8

What is otorrhea? What does it suggest

Answer 8

• Discharge from the ears

- Suggest infection of canal or perforated eardrum

Question 9

What is external otitis?

Answer 9

purulent, sanguineous or water discharge from ears

Question 10

What is acute otitis media with perforation

Answer 10

purulent discharge

Question 11

What is Cholesteatoma?

Answer 11

dirty yellow or grey discharge with foul odour

Question 12

What could the relationship between ear pain and discharge mean?

Answer 12

With perforation, ear pain occurs first and stops with a popping sensation, then drainage occurs

Question 13

Presbycusis causes ______ hearing loss, trauma causes ____ hearing loss

Answer 13

gradual, sudden

Question 14

What is otosclerosis?

Answer 14

Abnormal bone growth near middle ear

Question 15

When does otosclerosis usually occur? How is it diagnosed?

Answer 15

• during second/third decade

- On basis of symptoms of conductive hearing loss

Question 16

How is conductive hearing loss caused?

Answer 16

Fixation of stapes (bone in inner ear)

Question 17

The amount of hearing loss in conductive hearing loss is directly related to…?

Answer 17

the degree of immobilization of the stapedial footplate

Question 18

Why would you ask a patient what situations they notice their loss of hearing

Answer 18

Because loss is usually more apparent when competition from background noise is present

Question 19

What is recruitment?

Answer 19

a condition in which loss is marked when sound is initially at low intensity but actually becomes painful when repeated loudly

Question 20

Why would we ask our patient if sounds seem hollow, as if under water

Answer 20

Hearing loss can be caused by expansion of cerumen and impaction

Question 21

Why would we be asking about environmental factors in regards to hearing loss

Answer 21

Old trauma to hearing can we unnoticed initially but later can result in hearing loss

Question 22

What is tinnitus? When is it hear?

Answer 22

Ringing noise in ears, sometimes accompanies hearing loss disorders

Question 23

Why do we ask about medications when talking about the ear?

Answer 23

Many medications have ototoxic sequelae

Question 24

What are some medications with oxotoxic sequelae?

Answer 24

aspirin, aminoglysosides, ethacrynic acid, furosemide, local anaesthetic, etc

Question 25

What causes vertigo?

Answer 25

Dysfunctioning of the labyrinth

Question 26

What is the difference between subjective and objective vertigo?

Answer 26

Objective: person feels the room is spinning
Subjective: person feels as they are spinning

Question 27

Why would we ask a patient HOW they clean their ears?

Answer 27

Could’ve caused trauma from invasion like Qtip (can cause impaction of cerumen causing hearing loss