The following symptoms and complaints may occur together with ear flow (otorrhea):
Leading symptom
- Ear flow
Associated symptoms
- Earache
- Hearing loss
Cave (Attention)!
- If mastoiditis (mastoid process inflammation; symptoms: renewed increase in otalgia (ear pain) in acute otitis media (middle ear infection) after initial improvement or unchanged persistence of symptoms beyond the third week of illness) must be immediately hospitalized.
- If the symptomatology does not change by the primary therapy, a referral to the otolaryngologist should be made.
- When pharmacotherapy note the list “Ototoxic drugs“.
Warning signs (red flags)
- Painful targus (small cartilaginous mass on the auricle that rests just outside the ear canal (porus acusticus externus)) → think of: Otitis externa (inflammation of the auditory canal), boils.
- Acute onset of confusion or other neurologic symptoms → think of: Meningitis (meningitis) or brain abscess as a complication of otitis media.
