Sleep apnea

In Hong Kong, there are about 4% of male and 2% of female who suffer from sleep apnea, which is ceasing of breathing during sleep. According to the international standard, stopping for over 10 seconds 5 or more times per hour can be diagnosed as sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be classified into three types, namely obstructive, central and mixed apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is the commonest type of apnea. Central sleep apnea is much less common, meaning the central nervous system cannot maintain normal breathing at sleep. The cause may be congenital, or caused by stroke or drugs. Mixed sleep apnea means having both apneas at the same time.

Symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring, occasional pauses in breathing, unwillingness to get up in the morning, daytime tiredness, easy to go napping, difficulty to focus, which affects work or academic performance. Also, sleep apnea may cause temper changes, memory and sexual function loss. Besides, sleep apnea can cause different complications, such as hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. In severe case, sleep apnea may lead to sudden death.

Diagnosis

Patients can be diagnosed by sleeping test, which the patient can choose to stay in hospital for a night or get tested by sleeping test companies at home.

Reference: www.ent-hk.com

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your ENT doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

耳咽管功能失調

耳咽管是一條連接中耳和鼻咽的管道。功用是調節中耳的壓力，以減低外在壓力改變時引起的耳力問題，甚至耳膜損傷。籍著吞嚥或呵欠時肌肉的運動，耳咽管都會張開，讓空氣進出，以調節中耳的壓力。

常見的情況如乘搭飛機或攀上高山時，雙耳有著塞著的感覺，需要吞嚥數下來調節。

如耳咽管功能失調，中耳壓力便不能調節到與大氣壓相同，影響聲音傳入。病徵包括耳塞，迴音耳朵不適及耳鳴。

耳咽管失調的成因很多，包括鼻敏感，上呼吸道感染，增殖體肥大，壓力和疲倦，荷爾蒙改變，體重顯著下降，藥物影響，如口服避孕藥，鼻咽癌及電療的後遺症，先天性顎裂。簡單的處理方法包括吞口水，打呵欠，或夾著鼻子及緊閉雙唇吹氣。

如情況持續，需要找耳鼻喉醫生作詳細檢查，找出原因，再作處理。






參考資料: www.ent-hk.com


以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，
應向自己的耳鼻喉專科醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

逆生性乳頭瘤

逆生性乳頭瘤是鼻竇最常見的良性腫瘤，通常是單側。它的成因未明，估計與人類乳頭瘤病毒有關。雖然是良性，但有演變成惡性(癌症)的機會，切不可掉以輕心。它的外表跟鼻息肉相似，但較易流血。逆生性乳頭瘤病徵包括鼻塞及流鼻血。


治療方法是以手術切除，傳統的手術包括「典克」手術, Denker’s Operation 或外鼻切開術, Lateral Rhinotomy。現代均採用鼻內視鏡手術切除，除了避免留下疤痕，亦可加快痊癒。

逆生性乳頭瘤復發機會高，更會有擴展的機會，必須盡早處理。手術後亦要定期檢查觀察，若發現復發,便盡早處理。




參考資料: www.ent-hk.com

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，
應向自己的耳鼻喉專科醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

Snoring

Snoring  is very common, no matter adults or children may have encountered this problem. 

Snoring  is caused by the vibration of the upper respiratory tract due to obstruction of the tract while we breathe at sleep. The greater the obstruction, the greater the vibration will be, hence the louder the snore is. When the tract is completely obstructed, breathing and Snoring  will stop, causing obstructive sleep apnea.

Snoring  does not only affect sleeping quality of the family, but it may also lead to embarrassment during meetings or lessons. Some patients give up chances to work overseas and travelling so as to avoid sharing hotel rooms.

Reference information: www.ent-hk.com
It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your ENT doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

杜絕鼻竇炎

很多人都把慢性鼻竇炎和鼻敏感混淆，其實兩者有很大分別。鼻敏感的徵狀主要是鼻子發癢和流清涕；而慢性鼻竇炎就會令人頭痛及臉痛、鼻涕變得黏稠且呈黃綠色或帶有紅色、鼻涕有異味。

嚴重時鼻內分泌物甚至會倒流至咽頭而引起咳嗽，由於它和感冒的病徵很相似，亦有不少人把鼻竇炎誤以為是感冒。

鼻竇炎雖然令人煩惱，可是並不難治療。醫生大多會處方抗生素予患者。如果服藥後仍然未能痊癒的話，就可能是鼻子結構出現問題，醫生會為患者的鼻子作掃瞄，看看鼻隔骨有否歪斜、膨脹或瘜肉現象。

如果發現鼻子有以上問題的話，就可能要動手術糾正，令鼻內空氣保持流通，減少感染機會。

其實，要杜絕鼻竇炎，除了手術外，最重要還是保持上呼吸道暢通，預防鼻敏感及傷風感冒，鼻子暢通，受感染發炎的機會就會少得多。

參考資料: www.singtao.com
以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，
應向自己的耳鼻喉科醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

腮腺發大問題

口水腺是分泌唾液的腺体。主要的口水腺有三对,分别是腮腺,颌下腺及舌下腺。腮腺发大有很多原因,包括:

炎症性腫大 急性炎症包括流行性腮腺炎(即生炸腮),急性化膿性腮腺炎,又或是腮腺淋巴發炎。亦可以是慢性炎症,如結核性腮腺炎。

腮腺管結石 結石可導致腮腺管阻塞,導致腮腺發大甚至發炎。

腮腺腫瘤 腫瘤可分為良性及惡性。良性腫瘤包括多形腺瘤,腺淋巴瘤或肌上皮瘤;惡性腫瘤包括原發性腮腺癌及轉移癌。口水腺腫瘤的發生率佔頭頸腫瘤的3％，而腮腺腫瘤佔口水腺腫瘤的80─85％。大多數的腮腺腫瘤以良性的多形腺瘤居多，生長緩慢，病程可長達數年或十數年。另外一些瘤樣病變如第一腮裂囊腫,亦可導致腮腺脹大。

其他 部份藥物亦可導致腮腺脤大。另外,一些免疫性疾病,如舍格倫綜合症,亦可導致腮腺肥大。 腮腺肥大,會影響臉部外觀,嚴重的如影響吞嚥,甚至呼吸。如屬急性炎症,會有發熱,疼痛甚至發燒等病徵。

腮腺惡性腫瘤不易與良性腫瘤分辨。如腮腺惡性腫瘤快速長大,疼痛或出現臉癱,屬惡性腫瘤的機會便大大提高。應盡快找醫生診治,作進一步檢查及化驗。

參考資料: www.ent-hk.com

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，
應向自己的耳鼻喉專科醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。