subject: Mastoiditis - Symptoms And Causes [print this page] Mastoiditis is an inflammation of mucosal lining of mastoid antrum and mastoid air cell system inside mastoid process, the portion of the temporal bone of the skull that is behind the ear which contains open, air-containing spaces. In more common words, Mastoiditis is a bacterial infection of the mastoid bone of the skull situated just behind the outside ear.
Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis are the most common organisms recovered in acute Mastoiditis. Organisms that are rarely found are Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other Gram-negative aerobic bacilli, and anaerobic bacteria. P. aeruginosa, Enterobacteriaceae, S. aureus and anaerobic bacteria (Prevotella, Bacteroides, Fusobacterium, and Peptostreptococcus spp) are the most common isolates in chronic Mastoiditis. Rarely, Mycobacterium species can also cause the infection. Some Mastoiditis is caused by cholesteatoma, which is a sac of keratinizing squamous epithelium in the middle ear that usually results from repeated middle-ear infections.
Mastoiditis is generally caused by a middle ear infection, known as acute otitis media. This infection can spread from ear to the mastoid bone of the skull. It used to be a leading cause of child mortality, but due to introduction of antibiotics in developed countries, it has been lowered down. But it is still prevalent in developing and so called third world countries.
Though Mastoiditis usually infects infants and small children but adults can also be infected. Few symptoms for recognizing Mastoiditis are:
Pain
Tenderness, and swelling in the mastoid region
Ear pain or otalgia
The ear or mastoid region may be red known as erythematous
Fever or headaches
Swelling of the ear lobe
Eye twitching or uncontrolled blinking
Anorexia, diarrhea, or irritability in infants
Drainage from the ear occurs in serious cases, often manifest as brown discharge on the pillowcase upon waking
Mastoiditis is curable but do have some complications like destruction of the mastoid bone, dizziness or vertigo, epidural abscess, facial paralysis, meningitis, partial or complete hearing loss and spread of infection to the brain or throughout the body. In an extreme case in USA, the pillow would stick to the child's head upon rising in the morning. Two mastoidectomies were required to cure the child and left her hearing impaired with ringing and balance issues.
It is difficult for medications to reach mastoid bone, which require long term treatment with antibiotics. In Mastoiditis antibiotics are first given by injection and then orally for complete relief. If antibiotic therapy is not working then Surgery is done to remove part of the bone and drain the mastoid (mastoidectomy) may be needed. Surgery to drain the middle ear through the eardrum (myringotomy) may be needed to treat the middle ear infection. Serious infection may require many mastoidectomies.
You should immediately contact an ENT doctor or ear specialist for proper diagnosis of your problem. Even if you feel slight pain in the ear or behind ear, consult ENT specialist as it can be some sort of ear infection. Neglecting an ear infection can make it worse leading to Mastoiditis.
