This is the case of a patient with total ulcerative colitis on. long-term treatment with corticosteroids and azathioprine. and development of Listeria meningitis. Diagnosis was con-. firmed with cerebrospinal fluid culture. The patient respond-. ed favorably to specific treatment with a combination of an-. tibiotics.
1 Up to one in three airline passengers suffers ear discomfort, pain, or even temporary hearing loss on takeoff or landing. 2  Rapid changes in air pressure cause the air pocket inside the middle ear to expand during takeoff and contract during descent, stretching the eardrum.
The crackling is due to the mucus moving within the middle ear. It is the blockage of the Eustachian tube that causes pain in the ears when flying as the changes in air pressure make it difficult for the pressure across the ear drum to equalise. This causes the ear drum to be stretched, which is painful.