Ear Nose and Throat Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Yavuz Selim Yıldırım gave information on the subject. Air travel can be very dangerous if you have ear congestion before the trip. The middle ear cavity is connected to the back of the nose, that is, the nasal cavity, through the eustachian tube. The eustachian tube provides the pressure of the middle ear cavity. The normally closed eustachian tube regulates the middle ear pressure by opening and closing during swallowing, chewing gum, sneezing, coughing and straining.
Upper respiratory tract infections are the most important cause of Eustachian tube obstruction. When the nose is blocked for various reasons, for example, allergic rhinitis, nasal concha, nasal bone curvature, adenoid and various tumors cause the Eustachian tube to become blocked. These people feel that their ears are blocked, they feel a heaviness in their ears, if they travel by plane in this way, serious damage may occur to the eardrum and inner ear due to the inability to equalize the pressure in the ear during take-off and landing of the plane,
Some simple measures may help to get rid of this problem. Spraying the nasal spray half an hour before taking off from the plane will relieve the inside of the nose and improve the Eustachian tube functions. In order to be least affected by the changes in ear pressure in the plane and especially when it starts to descend, chewing gum, sip by sip Drinking water, pretending to inflate a balloon gently, and spraying nasal sprays all contribute to regulating middle ear pressure.
The possibility of bleeding in the eardrum, accumulation of fluid in the middle ear, perforation of the eardrum, damage to the inner ear structures and related dizziness, tinnitus, and hearing loss increases in people who cannot equalize the pressure despite taking the necessary precautions.
Prof. Dr. Yavuz Selim Yıldırım said, "If people who have to travel constantly for work have pressure problems in the ear, they can benefit from current treatment options to get rid of this problem permanently. Eustachian balloon dilation helps normalize Eustachian functions by opening the adhesions in the Eustachian tube. "Apart from this, the use of allergy medications by those with allergic complaints during seasonal transitions contributes to the regulation of middle ear pressure by reducing edema in the nose. People with structural flesh-bone and cartilage deformities in the nose have nasal surgery, which improves nasal functions and positively affects the middle ear," he said.