Introduction
Swelling of the ear can have many causes, but should not be a cause for concern in most cases. In most cases, it is an inflamed, enlarged lymph node in the head and neck area, which suddenly becomes palpable. They can be slightly painful under pressure, but usually disappear within a few days.
Other common causes can be a blocked sebaceous gland (atheroma) or a benign fat tumor (lipoma), which can occur anywhere in the body. These swellings on the ear are usually round, not painful under pressure and can usually be moved. Care should be taken if a painful swelling occurs in the area of the bone behind the ear, which is temporally related to a cold and leads to headaches and earaches.
This can indicate an inflammation of the mastoid process (mastoiditis) and should always be treated by a doctor. Rare, and more likely to occur on the neck, are neck cysts, which are usually congenital and harmless, but should be removed surgically as a precaution to avoid complications. If injuries or small wounds behind the ear have occurred beforehand, they can become inflamed and an abscess can form.
Abscesses appear as painful, fluctuating swellings behind the ear, and can be accompanied by malaise and fever. Rare causes of swelling in the ear are skin tumors or lymph node cancer. Swelling behind the ear is usually harmless. However, if you experience severe pain or an increase in the size of the swelling, you should always consult your doctor.
Causes
There are numerous causes of swelling behind the ear. It is primarily important to distinguish whether the swelling is painful or painless. Painful swellings usually indicate an inflammation.
The most common and harmless cause of a painful swelling behind the ear is inflamed lymph nodes. There are numerous small lymph node stations in the head/neck area, which can swell and become palpable as a result of a cold, tonsillitis (see symptoms of tonsillitis), middle ear infection (see symptoms of middle ear infection) or even toothache. In most cases, they are pressure-sensitive to pressure painful and can be easily shifted.
As soon as the infection has receded, the swelling of the lymph nodes also subsides again. Common pathogens for respiratory tract infections are various viruses, such as adeno-, rhino- and influenza viruses. But also the Epstein-Barr virus, the pathogen of whistling glandular fever, can cause painful lymph node swelling behind the ear and in the neck area.
Bacterial pathogens, such as streptococci, can also cause tonsillitis, which can be accompanied by swelling of the lymph nodes behind the ear. Nowadays, mumps infection – a viral inflammation of the parotid glands, which occurs mainly in children – is rare but still possible. However, too little drinking can also lead to the formation of salivary stones, which cause swelling of the parotid gland and pain in the parotid gland.
It leads to painful swelling behind the ear, earache, high fever and fatigue. Since vaccination against mumps is possible today, this clinical picture is rarely observed today. Other causes of painful swellings behind the ear include abscesses.
Abscesses are accumulations of pus under the skin, which can be caused by inflamed sebaceous glands or infected wounds. They are accompanied by severe pain, malaise and occasionally fever and always require medical treatment. A relatively common cause, especially in children and adolescents, of painful swelling of the bone behind the ear is mastoiditis – an inflammation of the mastoid process.
It usually develops from a protracted, insufficiently treated middle ear infection and is accompanied by severe ear pain, fever and a deterioration in hearing. as well as bruisingCauses of painless swelling behind the ear can be blocked sebaceous glands (atheroma, colloquially called grotto sacs or benign fat tumors (lipomas). Atheromas are usually perceived as small, coarse “lumps” that cannot be displaced and usually do not cause pain.
Lipomas, on the other hand, are usually small, soft “lumps” that can be moved easily and are also painless. They can be surgically removed for cosmetic reasons or if they become too large and cause discomfort.Other causes of painless swelling behind the ear can also be skin tumors or lymph gland cancer. One should always be careful if the swelling appears suddenly and increases rapidly in size, is rough, cannot be displaced and accompanying symptoms such as fever, night sweat or an unintentional, strong weight loss are present. To be on the safe side, swellings behind the ear that have existed for a longer period of time should always be clarified by a doctor.
