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Problems of the Ears

Many problems and infections can occur in the thin tissues, tiny bones and cartilage that create the ear. From hearing loss and serious diseases, to complications from untreated ear infections, health issues can be numerous. Ear pain can even be a result of other health issues.

  1. Mastoiditis

    • Mastoiditis was one of the leading causes of children's death before the era of antibiotics, according to Medline Plus, a service offered by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Although less common, as of 2010, mastoiditis is still difficult to treat. Symptoms of mastoiditis include ear drainage, ear pain, high fever, headache, hearing loss, redness of the ear or area behind it and swelling behind the ear, which may cause the cartilage shell to stick out. To test for mastoiditis, doctors may order CT scans of the ear or head, skull x-rays or a culture of fluid from the ear. The infection may spread from the ear to the mastoid bone in the skull, which is located just behind the ear. Injections and oral antibiotics are the normal course of treatment, although surgery to remove part of the mastoid bone or myringotomy, draining the middle ear through the eardrum, may be required.

    Swimmer's Ear

    • Swimmer's ear is known as otitis externa and occurs when water is trapped in the ear. The trapped water from bathing, swimming or high humidity allows bacteria to grow and infect the ear, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology. Swimmer's ear can also be caused by a tear in the ear canal, hairspray and extensive cleaning with cotton swabs. People diagnosed with eczema or seborrhea are more likely to contract swimmer's ear. Untreated swimmer's ear may result in hearing loss, recurring ear infections or bone and cartilage damage. Symptoms of swimmer's ear include itchiness, mild or moderate pain that feels worse when the ear is tugged on, a blocked or full feeling in the ear, pain in the neck, face or side of the head, and swollen neck lymph nodes. Careful cleaning of the ear and ear drops will cure swimmer's ear.

    Ruptured Ear Drum

    • A ruptured ear drum is considered a hole or tear in the ear drum, a thin tissue that separates the ear canal from the middle ear, according to Mayo Clinic. Within a few weeks, the ear drum will often heal itself without treatment, although surgical repair is sometimes necessary. Sharp or sudden ear pain that fades quickly, ear discharge, hearing loss and vertigo are symptoms of a ruptured ear drum. Tears in the ear drum may be caused by pressure from the fluids from a middle ear infection, loud blasts such as a gun shot, a significant difference of the pressure in the ear versus outside the ear and severe head trauma. A ruptured ear drum may cause partial or complete hearing loss and leaves the middle ear vulnerable to infection.

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