May 26, 2012
Topics A-Z Infections I was diagnosed with Mastoiditis: should I be worried?
I was diagnosed with Mastoiditis: should I be worried? |
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Dear Ask The Doctor: I was recently diagnosed with mastoiditis..the hospital would not give me much information, stating that it is very rare, and they know little about it. they did however tell me it showed up right away in my cat scan, and that it was a skull infection. they told me to see a specialist ent doctor right away, the problem is i have no insurance(that will cover that)and am trying to get insurance as quickly as i can. am i in any immediate danger? should i be worried? i am in a lot of pain, all behind my right ear, neck and head, with a little discharge in my ear. Dear Tiffany: Mastoiditis is any inflammatory process of the mastoid air cells or posterior process of the temporal bone, the temple bone.Acute mastoiditis, also known as classic mastoiditis, is a rare complication of acute otitis media (AOM). Antibiotic treatment of acute otitis media is believed to have decreased the incidence of acute mastoiditis. Chronic mastoiditis, a more latent and sometimes clinically silent version of mastoiditis, is most commonly associated with chronic supurative or with cholesteatoma formations. Cholesteatomas are benign tumors of squamous epithelium that can grow and alter normal structure and function of surrounding soft tissue and bone. Mastoiditis is a clinically significant infection with the potential of life-threatening complications. Common complications include hearing loss and extension of the infectious process beyond the mastoid system. If the spread of suppuration is anterior to the middle ear via the aditus ad antrum, often spontaneous resolution occurs. However, if the spread of infection is to the intracranial region, deadly and devastating consequences may develop. Then, I strongly recommend you to seek medical assistance ASAP. |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 19 January 2012 ) |
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