Otitis media, hearing loss, tonsillitis, sinusitis, epistaxis, head and neck cancers, and airway emergencies.
Cholesteatoma is an abnormal collection of keratinised squamous epithelium within the middle ear or mastoid, behaving as a locally destructive lesion that erodes bone and requires surgical removal to prevent serious complications.
Conductive hearing loss results from impaired sound transmission through the external or middle ear, with causes ranging from cerumen impaction and otitis media with effusion to otosclerosis and cholesteatoma, often amenable to medical or surgical treatment.
Head and neck cancers comprise a group of malignancies arising from the mucosal surfaces of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx, nasopharynx, and sinonasal tract, predominantly squamous cell carcinomas associated with smoking, alcohol, and HPV infection.
Hearing loss affects over 10 million people in the UK and is classified as conductive, sensorineural, or mixed, with causes ranging from cerumen impaction and otitis media to presbycusis and noise-induced damage, requiring systematic assessment and appropriate management.
Hoarseness (dysphonia) is a change in voice quality that can result from a wide range of conditions from benign self-limiting laryngitis to laryngeal carcinoma, requiring investigation if persisting beyond 3 weeks.
Laryngeal cancer is a squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, strongly associated with smoking and alcohol, presenting with persistent hoarseness, and is one of the most curable head and neck cancers when detected early with excellent voice preservation rates.
Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx causing hoarseness, typically viral and self-limiting in acute cases, but chronic laryngitis (>3 weeks) requires investigation to exclude serious pathology including laryngeal carcinoma.
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is characterised by recurrent upper airway collapse during sleep causing apnoeas and hypopnoeas, affecting 2-4% of middle-aged adults, and is associated with significant cardiovascular morbidity if untreated.
Otitis externa is inflammation of the external auditory canal, commonly caused by bacterial infection (Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus), presenting with ear pain, discharge, and canal oedema, and usually treated with topical antibiotics and aural toilet.
Acute otitis media is a common middle ear infection predominantly affecting children under 5, usually viral or bacterial, and is the most common reason for antibiotic prescriptions in paediatrics, though most cases are self-limiting.
Salivary gland tumours are uncommon neoplasms most commonly affecting the parotid gland, with pleomorphic adenoma being the most common benign tumour and mucoepidermoid carcinoma the most common malignancy, requiring surgical excision with careful preservation of the facial nerve.
Sensorineural hearing loss results from damage to the cochlea, hair cells, or auditory nerve, with causes including presbycusis, noise exposure, ototoxic drugs, and vestibular schwannoma, requiring audiological assessment and management with hearing rehabilitation.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of an external acoustic stimulus, affecting approximately 10-15% of the UK adult population, classified as subjective or objective, and often associated with hearing loss.
Tonsillitis is acute inflammation of the palatine tonsils, most commonly viral, though Group A Streptococcus is the most important bacterial cause, managed with analgesia and antibiotics when indicated by clinical scoring systems.
Tracheostomy is a surgically or percutaneously created opening in the anterior trachea to establish an airway, requiring systematic care including tube changes, humidification, suctioning, and emergency management of displacement or obstruction.