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I Started Having A Cold About A Month Ago With

Posted on Thu, 2 Jan 2020

Question: I started having a cold about a month ago with sneezing and then it turned into a cough with a blocked ear and ringing from it. The blocked ear improved about a week ago but I still get ringing and a sense of fullness from it which I have now had for about 4 weeks. I saw the ear, nose and throat doctor 3 days ago who checked it and confirmed that there was no longer any fluid in the ear but there were still some deposits in the ear, together with the nose. There was also some inflammation in the ear. She has prescribed a nasal spray, nose drops and courtesone tablets for 3 days to clear it. How long does it normally take in these circumstances for the ringing in the ear to subside?
Many thanks

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rajat Basak (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Hii. It's evident that you were having allergic rhinitis. This rhinitis is

Detailed Answer:
Hii. It's evident that you were having allergic rhinitis. This rhinitis is inflammation of the nose and it's mucosa. It results in congestion of the eustachian tube which is the connection between nose and ear. This cause retrograde spread of infection from nose to ear. This cause infection of the ear and congestion of the middle ear mucosa and accumulation of fluid in it. The ringing sensation of ear may be due to accumulation of fluid in ear or due to any nerve weakness caused due to allergic rhinitis. So you need to do two things. Continue the fluticasone nasal spray and the bromhexine tablet to clear the mucus. Take steam inhalation through nose. Second, do a hearing status, pure tone audiometry and impedance audiogram. It can tell you why there is ringing sensation fir accumulation of fluid or due to nerve weakness. It will take at least 6 week for tinnitus to get resolved. Do valsalva manouvre also. Please review if you have any queries.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Rajat Basak (1 hour later)

The ear, nose and throat doctor confirmed that there was no longer any fluid in my ear and tested my hearing which appeared fine. However, is it normal that I still have ringing in my ear after 4 weeks and could it take a further 6 weeks for the tinnitus to go away?
Many thanks

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rajat Basak (12 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Hii. Although confirmed by audiogram that your hearing tests are get normal

Detailed Answer:
Hii. Although confirmed by audiogram that your hearing tests are get normal but still there will be mild congestion of the eustachian tube which can lead to eustachian tube dysfunction. This can cause tinnitus. It will settle by its own. You carry out the advice given previously by me. It will take another 6 week to get it resolved.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T