Introduction
Pain in or around the ear can have various causes. On the one hand, they can be caused directly by diseases of the ear such as inflammation of the middle ear. On the other hand, other diseases in the head or neck area can be triggers for the pain in the ear. The pain can vary from mild to severe and can possibly interfere with everyday life to a great extent. Ear pain is also often associated with tinnitus and is not uncommon in children and adults.
Causes
As already mentioned, pain in the ear can not only be caused by an ear disease such as otitis media, but can also be a symptom of another disease. The possible causes of pain in or around the ear are described below.
Pain in the ear
Pain in the ear can be the cause of various ear diseases. For example, there may be an inflammation of the middle ear (otitis media), which is often preceded by a cold. The viruses or bacteria easily pass through the mouth and throat area via the tuba (connection between the mouth and throat area and the middle ear) into the middle ear, where they cause an inflammation.
Symptoms of an inflammation of the middle ear are often severe earache, tinnitus, fever, hearing problems and a general feeling of illness. In addition to an inflammation of the middle ear, the external auditory canal canal can also become inflamed by bacteria, fungi or cold or wet environments. Middle ear infection can also spread to the external auditory canal.
In addition to pain in the ear, pressure pain and a swollen auricle can occur. Injuries to the eardrum also cause sharp pain in the ear. The eardrum can be injured by external and internal influences.
These include inflammations, blows to the ear or extreme noise exposure (blast trauma). In addition to the pain in the ear, sudden hearing loss occurs because the function of the eardrum is to transmit sound to the middle ear. Furthermore, boils or tumors in the ear and on the pinna can cause pain.
