The following symptoms and complaints may indicate otalgia (earache):
- Piercing
- Burning
- Tearing
- Dull
In addition to otalgia, there may be other symptoms and complaints:
- Cephalgia (headache)
- Fever
- General feeling of illness
Warning signs (red flags)
- Fetal otorrhea (“foul-smelling ear discharge”) > 10 days → think of: Mastoiditis (acute inflammation in the mastoid process of the temporal bone with bone fusion); other symptoms include pressure pain over the mastoid and retroauricular swelling (“behind the ear”)Cave! Otitis media acuta (acute middle ear infection) that has not healed within 2-3 weeks is a warning sign of the presence of mastoiditis.