Ear pain has various causes, because it occurs not only in the course of diseases of the hearing organ, but also in other diseases, seemingly unrelated to this part of the body. Ear pain can be a symptom of conditions as diverse as gastroesophageal reflux disease, thyroiditis, aortic aneurysm, and even cancer and heart attack. Find out what's causing the earache.

Ear pain

Ear pain(otalgia) is one of the symptoms of the disease and its causes are varied. Ear pain may be a consequence of a disease in the ear itself (primary otalgia) or it may be a referred pain that occurs in the course of conditions unrelated to hearing (secondary otalgia).

Ear pain may be caused by pressure differentials between the middle ear and the environment and / or local inflammation.

The pressure difference is usually the result of an obstruction of the Eustachian tube, preventing equilibrium of pressure and causing fluid to accumulate in the middle ear. The pain from the ear is acute, limited to the organ of hearing, and therefore well localized by the patient.

In turn, the pain is referred to as pain that is blurred and difficult to locate. All because it is associated with damage to organs distant from the ear, and thus - it is conducted more slowly. These organs include:

  • nose
  • paranasal sinuses
  • nasopharyngeal cavity
  • teeth
  • gums
  • temporomandibular joints
  • mandible
  • parotid glands
  • language
  • palatine tonsils
  • throat
  • larynx
  • trachea
  • esophagus

These are areas supplied by cranial nerves: ear-temporal nerve (V nerve), posterior ear nerve (VII nerve), Jacobson nerve (i.e. vagus nerve, IX nerve), Arnold's nerve (i.e. facial nerve, X), as well as through the great ear and occipital nerves, which conduct sensation from the site of origin to the outer and middle ear.

Less common types of earaches are psychogenic pain (felt as a result of pain sensation for no reason) and dysaesthesia (unpleasant sensations, unspecified ailments similar to ear pain).

Middle ear pain - causes

  • acute eustachian tube obstructionexcept for earachemanifested by impaired hearing and murmurs. There is also a characteristic accumulation of fluid or thick secretion in the ear, which causes a feeling of overflow and blockage in the ear
  • barotrauma(barotrauma) usually occurs during antlers or deep diving. Then the earache may be accompanied by bleeding from or under the eardrum
  • otitis media(acute or chronic) most often causesear pain in a child . In addition, it manifests itself with poorer hearing in the affected ear and fever. It is accompanied by symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection. In the course of the disease, there is also a bulging and reddening of the tympanic membrane. Occasionally, there is leakage of pus from the ear (if the eardrum is perforated). It is worth knowing that otitis media may suggest Wegener's granulomatosis
  • mastoiditisusually occurs in people who have had otitis media recently. Then there is leakage from the ear, redness and tenderness over the mastoid process, and hearing deterioration - an anthomastoidectomy - mastoid surgery may be necessary
  • middle ear tumors- the most common is paraganglioma (incorrectly referred to as glomeruloma), which is usually benign, but can be malignant in some cases. Its characteristic symptom is pulsating tinnitus. Concomitant symptoms may include conductive hearing loss, balance disorders, dizziness, and a feeling of fullness in the ear. Ear pain may also indicate a tumor of the mastoid process

Pain in the outer ear - causes

  • local trauma- it usually occurs when you try to clean your ears with home methods (e.g. a cotton swab), which damages the external auditory canal
  • otitis externa(acute or chronic) often occurs soon after swimming or repeated exposure to water. Symptoms of the disease are itching and pain in the outer ear, foul discharge from the ear, red, swollen and swollen ear canal. The chronic form of the disease causes more itching than the acute form, but it causes minor discomfort. The most common forms of otitis externa include:

- auricular inflammation - auricle abscess - auricle rose - ear shingles (IMPORTANT! The disease may cause paralysis of the facial nerve, which worsens the prognosis) - eardrum haemorrhagic inflammation

In people suffering from diabetes and in the statesimmunodeficiency, a particularly severe form of otitis externa called malignant or necrotic.

  • ear obstruction , most often due to wax or a foreign body
  • burns or frostbitepinna
  • auricular hematoma- most often it is the result of an injury that causes the accumulation of a serous-bloody hemorrhage between the cartilage and the cartilage of the auricle in the form of a painless, elastic bulge
  • malignant neoplasm of the auricle appears as a hard swelling at the edge of the auricle that causes pain, conductive hearing loss and sometimes bleeding. Benign tumors of the external auditory canal are most often bone growths, osteomas and tumors originating from the sebaceous and wax glands, which only occasionally cause pain;

Ear pain - conditions not related to the ear

  • diseases of the molars and periodontium, such as: caries, pulpitis, periapical abscesses, arrested growth of the third molar
  • trigeminal neuralgia
  • cancers of the mouth and pharynx (nasopharynx, tonsils, basal tongue, pharynx and larynx, esophagus). IMPORTANT! The risk factors are many years of smoking or alcoholism and old age
  • spine tumors
  • disorders of the temporomandibular joint (including temporomandibular joint syndrome, i.e. Costen's syndrome)
  • arthropathy in the course of rheumatoid arthritis or gout
  • condition after tonsillectomy - ENT surgery involving removal of the palatine tonsils
  • infection (pharynx, tonsil, peritonsillar abscess)
  • inflammatory and degenerative changes in the cervical spine (whiplash trauma and Arnold-Chiari syndrome)
  • inflammation of the lymph nodes in the neck
  • diseases of the nose and paranasal sinuses
  • prolonged styloid syndrome, i.e. Eagle's syndrome
  • thyroiditis
  • inflammatory diseases of the salivary glands
  • inflammation of the temporal artery
  • acid reflux disease
  • heart attack
  • thoracic aortic aneurysm
  • lung cancer

Read also:

  • Structure of the ear
  • Foreign body in ear
  • Perlak
  • Catarrhal otitis
  • Leakage from the ear
  • Ear cancer
  • How to properly clean your ears?

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