Overview

Chronic suppurative otitis media is a common cause of fever in paediatrics. It's a chronic ear disease with an ongoing infection of the middle ear without an intact tympanic membrane. The Eustachian tube is crucial in this disease, and dysfunction can impair pressure equilibration and disrupt aeration.

Causes

Chronic otitis media is primarily caused by 

• Recurrent acute otitis media 

• Traumatic perforation of the tympanic membrane 

• Blockage of the eustachian tube

• Injury to the ear 

• Chemical burns 

• Blast injuries 

• Grommet insertion

• Craniofacial abnormalities.

Symptoms

The symptoms in adults include 

• Painless otorrhea (fluid draining from the ear), 

• Conductive hearing loss

• Fever

• Headache

• Confusion

• Swelling

• Tenderness

• Redness behind the ear

• Ear pain. 

Common symptoms in children include 

• Ear pain

• Difficulty sleeping 

• Crying

• Fizziness 

• Hearing loss 

• Balance loss 

• Fever

• Fluid drainage 

• Headache

• Loss of appetite.

Ayurvedic View

Karna srava - Here, the word karna refers to the ear, and srava means discharge; there is discharge from the ear. Causes like jale nimajjate (dipping oneself in water), vidradhi paka (ripening of abscess), etc, there is imbalance and vruddhi (aggravation) of dosha which enters into karna (ear) and there is puya sravana (pus discharge) from the ear, this is suppurative otitis media. The Ayurveda way of approach is to bring dosha back to prakruta awastha (balance state), improve the ear function and prevent further complications by Ayurvedic panchakarma treatment and local treatment for the ear.