女性常見的耳鼻喉疾病診療經驗

Experiences of Diagnosing and Treating Common Otolaryngology Diseases among Female Patients

在耳鼻喉疾病中，有一部分是與女性的生理發育有關係。一位女性從初潮（menarche）開始，經過結婚懷孕生產，而到更年期，在每一個階段有其特殊的耳鼻喉方面之生理現象及疾病。譬如，耳硬化症（otosclerosis）、慢性萎縮性鼻炎或是臭鼻症（ozena），是常見於女性病人，而且這些疾病容易發生於年輕的女性。此外，在懷孕及產褥期間，可見到與之有關的各種生理疾病理現象。當進一步到更年期時，以舌扁桃腺肥大開始，除了婦科方面的更年期現象之外，尚有同樣的生理變化在耳鼻喉領域內發生。這些生理與病理變化，看來似乎與性週期或是腦下垂體及卵巢荷爾蒙有關係。利用中醫藥針對每時期的相關症狀治療，有明顯的效果。

A number of otolaryngology diseases have been found to be associated with growth of female patients. From menarche, marriage, pregnancy to menopause, each disease has different presentation during different life period. Otosclerosis, chronic atrophic rhinitis, and ozena, for example, are commonly found among young female patients. During pregnancy and labor time, several particular manifestations are able to be found. In addition to typical manifestations of menopausal syndrome during menopausal period, similar physiological response can be discovered in nasal cavity, such as tonsil enlargement. Sexual hormones level and pituitary function may be the cause of these responses, and therefore managements based on traditional Chinese medicine theory have prominent efficacy on otolaryngology diseases via adjusting hormone balance among different life period.