Quick Question on Ears

[DodgyFlyer]

I was wondering if someone out there could help me with a quick question.

I was talking to someone last week about flying who said they were unable to fly in light aircraft due to excess fluid in the ear. I went and looked through my human performance books to see if there was anything on the subject but found nothing.

I thought that if there was excess fluid then a build up then pressure would build in the ear, but I thought if pressure builds then the passenger could simply swallow and relieve pressure.

Any chance someone could quickly explain why excess fluid in the ear would prevent someone flying in light aircraft as I am none the wiser. Also why do people have excess fluid in the first place?

Thanks

[Sugar_Junkie]

DF,
The build up of excess fluid in the inner ear is caused by an infection, and can only be cured by drilling a hole in the ear drum to drain out the fluid. With the fluid in the ear, it is not possible to swallow and 'clear' the ears, as the fluid blocks the air flow through the ears, thus making it impossible to change the pressure, as the popping of your ears when you climb/descend with healthy ears is due to AIR pressure, not FLUID pressure.

Probably a bad description, but hope you get the gist :)

SJ

[DodgyFlyer]

I was also told that even though they couldn't fly in light aircraft they could fly in airliners, so can they do that due to the pressurisation of the aircraft? And I thought that airliners keep the cabin pressure at a higher altitude say 5000ft which is higher than say what a C152 cruises at (when I fly it anyway), so in that case would the ears be affected due to sudden pressure changes?

Sorry to be a pain.

[Centre Command]

I can speak from experience when it comes to flying with blocked ears. Build up of fluid in the inner ear occurs due to an inflammation where the eustachian tube meets the back of the throats. (BTW It is likely that if you have suffered from nothing but a soar throat for a couple of days, that if you go flying, you will end up with a blocked ear during the descent. This can be very painful.) It means that the only exit for fluid or air is blocked.

So you cannot go flying in ANYTHING!! If you do, you risk rupturing your eardrum and possibly also doing damage to the internal mechanism of your ears. (ie you will sustain some degree of hearing loss).

The only way to get away with is to fly in a pressurised aircraft which maintains cabin pressure at sea level. Airliners fly with a cabin altitude of 6000-8000 feet! The risk now is that if the aircraft suddenly depressurise, you will probably blow the side of your head off. Is it worth the risk? You decide.

[DodgyFlyer]

Thanks for your replies

Are there any cures preferably non-invasive?

[NigelS]

Just a quick note on anatomy now...
Posts here are mostly OK. However, on a note of pedantry, the ear is composed of outer, middle, and inner. The inner ear is quite sealed off from the outside world and comprises those nice semi-circular canals that give you the wonder of balance sensation (or not for some poor buggars). It is the middle ear to which we refer here. This is usually a sterile compartment housing the three little bones involved in noise conduction (maleus, incus, stapes). It is bordered by the tympanic membrane at it's junction with the outer ear canal (meatus) and it's distal extension is the (referred to above) eustachian tube. The latter has a muscular opening in the nasopharynx. A common cause of blockage and fluid build up in the middle ear is congestion (remedied by decongestion). If chronic congestion is the cause of this then there may be something more than Sudafed administration to be done, e.g. anti-histamine therapy, localy acting steroids [e.g.fluticasone], surgical intervention like polypectomy if polyps causing the problem, sinus wash, etc). Acute problems may be due to inflammation or infection. GP may advise antibiotics. Finish the course and you should see resolution with no sequelae. fingers crossed.

Ciao ciao

Nige