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Eustachian tube problems can include narrow, blocked, or improperly opening tubes, and can be caused by colds, allergies, or sinusitis. Treatment may include antibiotics, decongestants, and pain medication. Chronic dysfunction may require surgery. Women are more likely to experience PET scans. High altitude exposure can cause ear barotrauma, which can be relieved by chewing or swallowing.
Eustachian tube problems can include tubes that are too narrow, blocking and collapsing, or not opening and closing properly as needed. A tube that doesn’t close is known as a papular Eustachian tube or PET. Eustachian tube dysfunction can also be caused by an ear injury or birth defect.
Problems with Eustachian tubes are commonly due to an underlying cause, such as a cold, allergies or sinusitis. Depending on the problem, medical professionals can treat this condition with antibiotics or nasal decongestants while prescribing pain medications to ease the pain and discomfort. In many cases, however, Eustachian tube dysfunction heals naturally when the underlying cause, such as the common cold, subsides.
Chronic dysfunction does not ease with medical treatment, nor does it resolve itself naturally as the underlying symptoms disappear. Instead, this type of Eustachian tube dysfunction often requires surgery to correct. Until this is done, the symptoms associated with this issue may subside periodically, but will keep coming back.
Anyone can be affected by Eustachian tube problems at any age, but women are more likely to experience PET scans than men. It is believed that this problem may be more common in women due to the use of birth control pills, frequent dieting, and weight changes, including weight gain due to pregnancy. In this type of dysfunction, the Eustachian tubes fail to close and cause the individual to experience a constant feeling of fullness in the ears as well as hear echoes and the ringing of their own voice.
One of the most common types of Eustachian tube dysfunction is a feeling of increased pressure caused by exposure to high altitudes or during other activities that expose the eardrum to a change in altitude, such as deep water diving. This causes something known as ear barotrauma to occur, which simply means that there is an imbalance between the air pressure on both sides of the eardrum. Chewing, yawning, or swallowing gum can open up the Eustachian tube and bring relief from this type of dysfunction. However, some people are born with ear barotrauma, while others experience it due to a swollen sore throat.
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