Saturday, August 25, 2012

Pain in ear – know the causes

Ear Infection can cause Pain

Ear pain is due to any kind of infection or condition within the ear, the ear canal or affecting the pinna. Allergy and deposition of wax in the ear also leads to ear pain. In some cases the pain is mild, while some people may experience throbbing and stabbing pain that comes and goes or is constant. Ear pain always causes lot of discomfort and result in headache and pain in jaw.

Causes of ear pain

Otitis media

– It is an infection of the middle ear, more likely to occur in children and can also occur in adults. Patient suffers from ear pain, which increases in night. Ear infection is caused when Eustachian tube is clogged and fails to drain unwanted fluid and debris from the ear. When Eustachian tube is blocked, bacteria and other germs are trapped inside the ear, which causes ear infection.

Otitis externa

(swimmer’s ear) – It is an Inflammation of the external ear canal (tube between the outer ear and eardrum). Repeated exposure to water leads to redness and swelling in ear canal. Symptoms of otitis externa infection include severe or moderate ear pain, pus discharge from ear and temporary hearing loss.

Earwax

– It is a substance produced by sebaceous glands inside the ear. When there is too much production of earwax, it can block the ear and cause pain and hearing loss. Overproduction of wax is due to repeated ear infection, hair in ear canals and flaky skin near the ear.
Ruptured ear drum
– Another common cause of pain in ear is ruptured ear drum. Several factors such as a loud sustained noise, a direct injury form cotton swab and other objects inserted in the ear and barotrauma (caused by scuba diving or flying on an airplane) are responsible for ruptured ear drum.

Perichondritis

– The pain in ear is caused due to infection of tissue that surrounds the cartilage of the outer ear. Perichondritis is caused by trauma to the outer ear.
If you experience a consistent ear pain, consult the ENT doctor. They diagnose the cause of pain and accordingly prescribe the medications and ear drops. If the infection is severe, incision and drainage may be required to treat the pus in ear.

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