Apple Valley, CA
760-242-1234
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| Earache |
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Earache pain can range from moderate to excruciating. Infections or other types of blockage in the ear cause most earaches, but some susceptible people develop them simply from flying. Boils in the ear can also produce earaches.
Causes of Earache
Ear abscess
Also known as mastoiditis, this condition is due to inflammation of the tissue lining the small air spaces inside the mastoid bone, which is located behind the ear. The most common cause of mastoiditis is a chronic ear infection, but it can also evolve from other illnesses, including sinus and throat infections, measles, scarlet fever, and diphtheria. Besides an earache, symptoms include redness, swelling, and tenderness on the outside of the ear. Fever and a profuse ear discharge are also common. Thanks to immunization against diphtheria and measles, mastoiditis is becoming relatively rare. If it does occur, immediate antibiotic treatment is important to prevent permanent damage and deafness.
External ear infections
Ear infections may be bacterial or fungal. The most common type of infection, external otitis or swimmer's ear, is usually the result of swimming in unclean or over-chlorinated water. A foreign object lodged in the ear can also lead to external otitis. These infections sometimes manifest themselves as furuncles (small boils) in the outer ear, but more often they affect the entire ear canal. The pain can be moderate to severe and may be accompanied by an intensely itchy ear canal and a slight fever. Itching is the most prominent symptom in fungal infections of the outer ear; gray or black particles may also appear in the ear canal. Treatment may include oral or topical antibiotics, topical antifungal drugs, and topical corticosteroids.
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| Eardrops can be used to treat external ear infections |
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Middle-ear infections
Infections in the areas behind the eardrum usually follow a bad cold or strep throat. They are common in children, whose eustachian tubes (which connect the middle ear to the back of the throat) are short and narrow, making them susceptible to blockage, which promotes infection.
Middle-ear infections (also called otitis media) can be caused by a virus or a bacterium such as strep, staph, or pneumococcus. They can also develop as a complication of a variety of childhood diseases, including scarlet fever, measles, and tonsillitis. In both children and adults, otitis media can follow about of pneumonia or flu. Otitis media can be mild, but if it becomes acute or chronic, complications may occur. In a mild case, there are virtually no symptoms. The primary symptom of acute otitis media is a severe, stabbing earache, which may be constant or intermittent and may radiate through the side of the head. There may also be a high fever and sensations of fullness and ringing in the ears. In the chronic form, the eardrum may be perforated, allowing a discharge of pus to escape from the middle-ear.
Pharynx cancer
An earache may develop in advanced cancer of the throat as the tumor invades the area of the throat that connects to the ear. Earlier
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symptoms include a visible mass in the throat, nosebleeds, nasal speech, bad breath, difficulty in breathing and swallowing, and throat pain.
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
This condition is brought about by grinding the teeth and clenching the jaw muscles as an unconscious habit related to stress or to correct a faulty alignment between the upper and lower jaws. It affects the joint that opens and closes the mouth, as well as the adjoining muscles. The primary symptom is a dull, aching pain on one side of the jaw, below the ear. The jaw may also fail to open completely, and pain may radiate to the ear, especially when chewing or speaking.
Advice about earache
- If you have a cold and tend to develop ear pain while flying, delay air travel if possible. If flying is necessary, try to swallow and yawn during takeoff and landing. Chewing gum may also help. A doctor may recommend taking medication that can be inhaled or sprayed into the throat just before the plane descends. This medication shrinks the mucous membranes lining the nasal passages and eustachian tubes.
- Never ignore an earache that persists for more than a day. Ear infections are readily treated with antibiotics in most cases, but serious complications can develop if an infection is allowed to progress.
- To prevent TMJ syndrome, don't grind your teeth. Try techniques to relax the jaw muscles and relieve tension. Biofeedback, meditation, and regular exercise may help.
- To prevent pharynx cancer, avoid all forms of tobacco. Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and chewing tobacco have all been implicated in the development of this often fatal type of cancer.
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This article was last reviewed October 24, 2005 by Dr.
James Krider.
Reproduced in part with permission of Home Health Handbook. |
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Ear abscess
Ear infections
Earache
Foreign objects, ear
Pharynx cancer
TMJ syndrome
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