Swimmer’s Nightm(ear)e

Who doesn’t like to relax in a pool for hours during extended summers? Or take frequent showers on a hot and humid day? But here’s a catch. One must be mindful of water seepage into the ears to ward off infections like the swimmer's ear. It is a condition wherein the external ear canal gets affected with itchiness, redness, heat, swelling, irritation and fluid dischargedue to water percolation that promotes bacterial breeding.

No More Wallowing in Water

The daily ritual of body cleansing is imperative to the maintenance of hygiene and grooming. At the same time, it is important to note the volume and quality of water required by the body to rinse off the sweat and dirt to feel fresh and rejuvenated. The duration of the human body coming into contact with water is a vital factor to count, especially in enclosed pools or open-air ponds that spill with dense crowds.

“This is a very painful and extremely uncomfortable situation to be in for most people who remain in water at length. Hence, the name swimmer’s ear. Medically termed otitis externa, the ailment emanates as an infection in the external ear canal,” explains reputed ENT expert Dr Mohammad Naseeruddin from Apollo Spectra Hospitals, Hyderabad.

Kids Most Vulnerable

Is swimmer’s ear most common among kids? “Children have a narrow ear canal andhave much prolonged exposure to water like swimming and playing in it as compared to adults. They have a more sensitive skin and less resistant immune system, which make them more prone to the infection transmission,” infers eminent ENT specialist Dr Abhinav Srivastava of Sharda Hospital in Greater Noida.

However, he doesn’t forget to mention that “adults are also susceptible to this malady. Low or weak immunity levels can make it harder for the body to fight off the harmful bacteria or fungi. Diabetic patients or anybody who is immunocompromised with poor nutrition can be affected with the swimmer's ear.”

Below is a list of dos and don’ts to follow to prevent swimmer's ear from developing:

Washrooms & Natural Water Bodies

Incidentally, a swimmer’s ear can also affect the delicate sense organ in bathrooms under a shower or while bathing from buckets with mugs. Medicos agree that the contagion can strike even in washrooms while showering or when using buckets and cups for baths. Similar problems could persist in natural settings like the seaside or in rivers and ponds as well. “Swimmer’s ear can happen from any clammy source. It does evolve from bathing in places, such as the salty sea or in fresh river water or in the standing waters of ponds. Wherever germs find an environment conducive to sprout and get the illness contracted, they definitely become active. Natural water bodies may include a variety of germs and pollutants, thus increasing the risk of contamination and swimmer’s ear,” confirms the doctor.

Duration & Purification

It is significant to know for how long should one stay in a pool to avoid water infiltration of the outer ear canal. Also, chlorine or bromine-infused water is said to reduce germs and help minimise the condition of the swimmer’s ear.

“Swim not more than 30-60 minutes to lower the hazard of water soaking the outer ear canal region. Take regular intervals while swimming and dry your ears well after to evade accumulation of water in the external ear canal. Using disinfectants like chlorine and bromine in pool waters enable pool guards and authorities to kill germs and eventually curtail thethreat of swimmer's ear and other water-borne sicknesses by hindering bacterial multiplication,” informs the physician.

Remedy & Recovery

Patients should visit an ENT expert in the early stages. Treatment generally involves aural toilet (ear cleaning), antibiotic or antifungal ear drops and anti-inflammatory drugs. “In some cases, we give systemic antibiotics too. Recovery depends on the severity of infection, though it takes three to seven days on average to recuperate,” shares Dr Srivastava.

Aquatic Association

Various bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, staph aureus or streptococcus are responsible for causing swimmer's ear. Certain harmful germs can also be fungal in origin, such as candida or Aspergillus. These germs enter the ear through contaminated water that gets stuck inside the ear. Usually, they are waterborne but even non-swimmers can get infected.

Causes:

If a person frequently swims, particularly in lakes or pools with high bacterial counts, then water may enter and remain inside the ears.

Cotton swabs, fingernails or other objects may scratch or cut the skin when trying to clean the ears, thereby allowing infections to get a foothold more easily.

Though it makes a protective barrier for the ear canal, excessive earwax traps water and bacteria inside, presenting a fertile ground for infection.