Risk of ear, nose and throat diseases when swimming and effective prevention methods

The most common diseases when swimming are diseases of theENTBecause these are the gateways for bacteria and pathogens to enter the body.

1. Swimming can easily cause ear, nose and throat infections.

The nose and throat belong to the upper respiratory tract. In daily life, the nose and throat are the main gateway of the body, directly in contact with the outside environment. The nose and throat are closely related to the ears, connected to the ears through the Eustachian tube. Therefore, we are very susceptible to ear, nose and throat diseases, especially when swimming. The cause is drinking water or choking on water from swimming pools, rivers, streams, ponds, etc., bringing bacteria into the nose, throat, sinuses, etc.

Common ear, nose and throat problems when swimming, especially in young children, are pharyngitis, otitis media, rhinitis, and allergic rhinitis due to swimming pool water disinfectants.

2. Common ear, nose and throat diseases after swimming

- Sinusitis

After swimming, many people sneeze, have a runny nose, a stuffy nose, and a stuffy nose. The cause could be bacteria, viruses, fungi, or an allergy to pool disinfectants. At that time, the patient sees that the nasal discharge is initially thin, then gradually cloudy and turns yellow or green. The person feels tired, has a fever, and has a headache and face.

Chronic sinusitis occurs when acute inflammation recurs many times, affecting the patient's quality of life, especially children.

- Otitis externa

Otitis externa is a common problem in children, but adults can also easily get otitis externa when swimming. According to research, otitis externa occurs quite often after swimming. The cause is that the patient may be infected with bacteria or fungi in the ear canal, which then has symptoms such as earache, ear itching, tinnitus or ear heaviness. Sometimes the patient also has severe earache with fever.

- Sore throat

Sore throats are also common in the summer, but when swimming, sore throats are more likely to occur. The reason is that the hot weather in the summer often causes high temperatures. If you swim for a long time, your body will get cold, which can lead to sore throats. When swimming, you may choke on water or drink contaminated water from lakes, ponds, rivers, or swimming pools, which can also cause sore throats.

In case of acute pharyngitis, after swimming, you may feel tired, have a fever - high fever, sore throat, accompanied by symptoms of respiratory tract infection such as runny nose, cough with phlegm...

Swimming can also cause otitis externa.

- Otitis media

Acute otitis media is likely to occur when swimming, the reason is that swimming in pools, rivers, and streams with contaminated water will trigger an episode of acute otitis media. People with chronic otitis media will also have a relapse due to pool water penetrating through the perforated eardrum into the middle ear or through the nasal sinus through the Eustachian tube into the middle ear (common in young children).

Symptoms of acute otitis media include tinnitus, hearing loss, a feeling of water in the ear, a feeling of fullness in the ear, fever and/or severe pain in the ear.

3. When should I see an ENT doctor?

The ear, nose and throat are interconnected structures, so when one organ is infected, it can easily lead to infection in another location. Furthermore, if left untreated, ear, nose and throat diseases can affect the brain, meninges, nerves and blood vessels.

If you have any of the following symptoms, you should go to a medical facility immediately for examination and treatment:

Sneezing, runny nose, stuffy nose or pain around the nose, itching, pain in the ear, nose or throat, high fever with sore throat, dizziness, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, ear discharge, nosebleeds, hoarseness or wheezing

Therefore, after swimming, if you experience the above unpleasant symptoms of the ear, nose and throat, you should see an ENT doctor for early diagnosis and timely treatment, especially for ear and sinus infections, especially in young children - because children's resistance is often weaker than that of adults.

4. Preventing ear, nose and throat diseases when swimming

- To participate in your favorite swimming sport in the summer while still protecting your health, you need to choose a swimming pool with clean water of guaranteed quality and regularly changed water. You should not swim in pools with too many people.

- Do not go swimming if you have infectious diseases, respiratory infections, ear, nose, throat or eye infections, skin diseases, etc. to avoid making existing diseases worse and spreading the disease to others.

- Be conscious when swimming in the pool: do not spit, do not blow your nose, do not urinate in the pool.

- Limit pool water from entering your nose and throat, do not choke on water, wear goggles and a swimming cap.

- After getting out of the pool, blow your nose gently, tilt your head and hop around to let the water in the outer ear canal drain out. Do not dig your ears too hard as this can scratch the outer ear canal and make it susceptible to infection. Take a shower with clean water and shower soap after getting out of the pool.

- Use eye drops, dry ears and gargle with salt water after swimming. Swimming time in the pool is limited (children under 5 years old can swim for less than 30 minutes, children over 5 years old can swim for less than 60 minutes). Rinse your mouth with clean water immediately after getting out of the water for fear of swallowing dirty water or water with chemicals in the pool water that can damage tooth enamel./.