Huh? My ears often suddenly feel stuffy these days. I feel that I can't hear other people's voices clearly when yawning. When I speak, my ears seem to buzz. How did this happen? Xiao Ansui, director of the Department of Otolaryngology, Taipei Rongzong, said that some people's symptoms improve immediately after lying flat or bowing their heads, which may lead to "unobstructed eustachian tubes". Mika Nakashima, a famous Japanese artist, suddenly announced the suspension of all performing arts activities because of "eustachian tube opening".

Keep hearing the echo of your own speech.

Xiao Ansui said that the adult eustachian tube is about 3 cm, connecting the ear and nose. It is usually closed and only opens when swallowing or yawning, so that the middle ear can adjust the pressure balance at the moment of opening. However, if the eustachian tube is open, it will remain open. Because the middle ear is connected with the nasopharynx, the voice of one's own speech will be transmitted to the ear through the throat, nose and unobstructed eustachian tube, which will make the ear feel stuffy and the party concerned can hear the echo of one's own speech. If he speaks louder, the echo will be louder and even his face will shake.

In severe cases, part of the airflow directly enters the middle ear cavity through the eustachian tube, which makes the involuntary breathing sound more obvious, and patients are often disturbed by hearing their own breathing sound. However, although patients feel earplugs and tinnitus, their hearing is usually not affected.

Paper men are high-risk groups

Clinically, it is found that most patients with unobstructed eustachian tube are young adults aged from 20 to 40, and the ratio of male to female is about 1: 2, which may be related to many women's weight loss habits. Many women are misled by paper men, demanding that the thinner the body, the better, or suddenly become thinner. Later, I went to the hospital for treatment before I knew that I had otolaryngology.

Modern people are stressed, anxious and lack of sleep, and may also have to open the eustachian tube. Patients often overwork or stay up late before onset. Excessive sweating during exercise, upper respiratory virus infection, trigeminal neuropathy, gastroesophageal reflux and pregnancy may all get this disease.

The patency of eustachian tube can occur on one side or both sides at the same time. Usually when you wake up in the morning, the symptoms are mild, and they will become more and more obvious in the afternoon. Some patients can relieve symptoms by lying flat or bending over and putting their heads on their knees for a few minutes. This is because the soft tissue and muscles near the eustachian tube are congested and swollen, which makes it easier to close the eustachian tube, but the effect is only temporary, and symptoms will appear again after a long time.

Some patients will feel more comfortable after inhaling backward through their noses, because inhaling through their noses will draw air out of the middle ear cavity, causing temporary negative pressure in the nasopharynx, so that the eustachian tube can be closed. However, this is still only a temporary solution, and the uncomfortable feeling will come back soon. Moreover, the patient will contract the eardrum because of repeated nose suction, which may lead to the collapse of the middle ear and even become a pearl tumor in the long run. Therefore, it is not recommended to inhale through the nose to improve symptoms.

The symptoms of patency of eustachian tube sometimes improve naturally after a few days, but if it continues to be uncomfortable, it is recommended to see a doctor, first check the eardrum, and accept hearing examination and tympanogram examination.

If the diagnosis is that the eustachian tube is unobstructed, the best treatment is to improve the cause. If it is caused by underweight, patients will be advised to gain weight first. Because most of these patients have symptoms of lack of sleep and anxiety, it is suggested that they should have enough rest, relax themselves, exercise moderately and eat a balanced diet. As long as you adjust your lifestyle, your symptoms will generally improve after a period of time.

The therapeutic effect of surgery is limited.