Imagine losing your sense of smell or not being able to taste and enjoy your favourite meal. What about not being able to listen properly? These are some of the functions that provide our lives with meaning, yet we often take them for granted. But do you know that specific ear, nose, and throat (ENT) disorders can affect your senses, disrupting their functions and affecting your quality of life? When this happens, you need to visit an ENT specialist in Singapore.
However, you may wonder what an ENT specialist entails, particularly if you have never consulted one. To put it simply, ENT doctors (also called otolaryngologists) provide medical and surgical care for various conditions affecting adults and children in the ear, nose, and throat regions. Let us explore some of the common otolaryngology conditions that they can help treat so that you know when to seek medical help.
Do not dismiss snoring as just a disrupting, rattling noise made during sleep. It can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This medical condition causes your throat muscles to relax intermittently during sleep, blocking the airway. As a result, you may snore loudly or produce choking noises as you try to breathe.
If left untreated, OSA can disrupt your sleep and affect your overall well-being, leading to issues like daytime fatigue and increased risk of health complications like cardiovascular problems or strokes.
Do you encounter a ringing, buzzing, or hissing sound in your ear? In that case, you could have tinnitus. This recurrent ear or head noise with no external source usually occurs more than once per week, lasting longer than five minutes. It is often caused by age-related hearing loss or hearing loss from prolonged exposure to loud noises.
For some, this condition can be bothersome and negatively impact their quality of life. While most tinnitus cases are not dangerous, tinnitus of a thumping nature could be a symptom of a more serious underlying condition. Therefore, it is imperative to seek prompt aid from an ENT specialist to prevent the issue from deteriorating.
Rhinitis, or sensitive nose, refers to an inflammation of your nasal cavity. When this happens, you may experience nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and itching. This condition is often caused by a viral illness, allergic or seasonal rhinitis, and non-allergic or year-round rhinitis.
Triggers for allergic rhinitis include exposure to allergens in the air, such as dust mites or pollen. Meanwhile, non-allergic rhinitis is often caused by cigarette smoke, hormonal changes, strong odours, and temperature changes.
As sinusitis shares similar symptoms to allergic rhinitis, such as stuffy and runny nose, many often confuse the two conditions. However, unlike rhinitis, which refers to an inflammation of your nose, sinusitis occurs when your sinuses become swollen and inflamed.
This swelling interferes with how mucus typically drains, causing your nose to become stuffy. As a result, you may find it challenging to breathe through your nose and experience a reduced sense of smell. You may also notice a discoloured discharge from your nose and feel tender around your eyes.
Learn More: Allergic Rhinitis vs Sinusitis: Are They Different?
Tonsillitis is the inflammation of the tonsils, two oval-shaped lumps of tissues found at the back of the throat. This infection can be recurrent, and you will usually experience difficulty swallowing, sore throat, tender lymph nodes on the sides of your neck, and even fever.
The appropriate treatment for tonsillitis depends on the cause. Therefore, it is essential to consult an ENT specialist immediately to receive a prompt and accurate diagnosis. Generally, when the condition occurs frequently, does not respond to other treatments, or causes severe complications, the ENT doctor may recommend surgery to remove the tonsils.
Ear infections, particularly middle ear infections (otitis media), occur more commonly in children as their eustachian tubes are smaller and more horizontal, making it more challenging for fluid to drain out of the ear, thus causing germs to develop. In addition, their immune systems are underdeveloped and less equipped to fight off infections.
If your child is prone to developing multiple ear infections, consult an ENT specialist immediately. Not only are ear infections painful. They can affect your child’s quality of life and ability to hear precisely. Over time, these recurrent infections can result in speech, social, and other developmental delays.
Earwax helps keep your ear canal clean and safeguard it from moisture, foreign objects, and infections. However, when excess wax buildup (known as impacted earwax) fails to clear on its own, you may experience decreased hearing levels in the affected ear. It can also cause a secondary ear infection.
So, if you find yourself constantly needing to turn up the volume on your devices or feel like the person speaking to you is too soft or mumbling, consider talking to an ENT doctor about your hearing. If the issue is caused by impacted earwax, they can perform earwax removal under microscopic guidance without damaging your eardrum or ear canal.
Your lymph nodes, also called lymph glands, play an essential role in helping your body fight off infections. However, they can get infected by bacteria or a virus, causing them to become swollen or feel tender.
While most swollen lymph nodes heal on their own within a few weeks, you should speak with an ENT specialist if you encounter the following issues:
If you or your child exhibit any symptoms of the following conditions, do not hesitate to get yourself medically checked by Dr Jenica Yong. With years of experience practising otolaryngology medicine, Dr Yong can provide all-round ENT care for both adults and children. Contact our ENT clinic to book an appointment with our doctor today!
