Blood in the ear

ears bleed

Blood in the ear does not necessarily mean something bad. A minor injury from scratching or too much ear cleaning may well be the reason. Nevertheless, diseases should be excluded. In the following lines you will learn which causes can lead to blood in the ear and what should be considered.

contents

• ears bleed
• causes
• research methods
• Summary

causes

Blood in the ear does not necessarily indicate a serious illness. The most common cause is improper, rough cleaning or the use of sharp objects to counteract itching. However, in the worst case this can lead to an injury to the eardrum, which is anything but harmless and requires immediate medical care. The cleaning of the ears is always careful and gentle. The ear bud always cleans only the external auditory canal and never the inside of the ear.

Ear bleeding may be the result of injury while cleaning but may also indicate a serious condition. (Image: Miriam Dörr / fotolia.com)

Severe injury
However, other causes can lead to blood in the ear. If pain is involved, be sure to consult a doctor. An accident in which the head has been injured and in which blood escapes from the ear is an emergency that has to be taken to a clinic immediately. Cerebral haemorrhage or possible skull base fracture could be the cause here.

explosion trauma
In an explosion trauma, the ear is damaged massively. This can happen, for example, during blasting or bomb explosions. The explosion trauma is one of the acoustic traumas. A sudden, massive sound pressure wave with more than 150 decibels, caused by blasting, bomb explosions or bursting of an airbag leads to the injury. About three milliseconds are thereby exposed to the ear of extreme noise pollution. Mostly both ears are affected. Both inner and middle ear are damaged by the noise. The tympanic membrane is often torn by pressure.

Those affected suffer from blood in the ear (due to tympanic membrane rupture), hearing loss on both sides, pressure in the ears and sharp pains. These complaints may be accompanied by tinnitus (ear swelling) and dizziness. An explosion trauma should be treated as soon as possible. This includes a treatment in a special pressure chamber and a possible surgical procedure to close the eardrum. Patients receive circulation-enhancing infusions and cortisone treatment. In the worst case, the hearing loss persists permanently.

Middle ear infection (otitis media)
A middle ear infection usually arises as a result of a nose and throat infection caused by bacteria. Often infants and toddlers are affected. Via the Eustachian tube pathogens migrate into the ear, the mucous membrane swells, becomes red and thick, an effusion is formed and the eardrum bulges outwards. This can cause the pressure to break, causing blood in the ear. The sufferers suffer from massive pain, which usually abruptly stop when the eardrum has burst. If you have a middle ear infection, be sure to call a doctor. As a rule, the patients get an antibiotic. The eardrum often closes itself.

Traumatic eardrum perforation
An injury to the eardrum, a traumatic eardrum perforation, can be triggered by trauma. Possible causes of this are a violent blow to the ear, a dive or too hard a jet of water when improperly performing an ear irrigation. Those affected suffer from acute, stinging pain, blood in the ear and a sudden hearing loss. Smaller injuries heal on their own, with larger ones may need surgery.

Otitis externa (ear canal inflammation)
An ear canal inflammation is a pretty painful affair. Initially, this begins with itching in the ear canal. After that, sometimes severe pain occurs - the chewing hurts and even the slightest pressure on the ear is painful.

Excessive cleaning damages the mucous membrane in the ear. This reduces the defense there. Germs such as viruses, fungi or bacteria can invade and cause external otitis. Frequent swimming favors such an inflammation. A possible allergic reaction is also possible as a cause. Symptoms are, as already mentioned, itching and pain, accompanied by otorrhea (ear fluke). The exuding secretion can be watery, purulent but also bloody.

barotrauma
The ear is connected to the nasopharynx through the Eustachian tube. This opens when yawning and swallowing and thus creates pressure equalization, which is very important for example when flying or diving. If there is a cold, it causes swelling in the area of ​​the Eustachian tube and the pressure balance is disturbed. The tympanic membrane can break because of the high pressure. Symptoms of a barotrauma are severe pain, dizziness, possibly nausea and blood in the ear. This condition must be treated as soon as possible. In order to prevent barotrauma, decongestant nose drops are administered in the case of a cold that occurs before the flight starts and also during the flight.

Ohrfurunkel
An earfur is a hair follicle inflammation in the ear canal. This is usually associated with pain. When the formed abscess bursts, either through medication or just like that, there is blood in the ear besides pus.

Tumor in the ear
Malignant tumors in the ear are very rare. They can be caused by chronic inflammation. Mostly older people are affected. The patients suffer from a feeling of pressure in the ear, hearing loss and blood in the ear.

research methods

In order to find out the causes of blood in the ears and the associated complaints, various methods of examination are used. In the first place is a detailed medical history. This means that the doctor will ask the patient about the type of pain, the time, the type of secretion and so on. Then the ear is scanned and inspected. The otoscope is used for this purpose. Thus, the external auditory canal can be considered up to the eardrum. Other examination methods include computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), hearing tests and X-ray.

Summary

Blood in the ear, without pain and more discomfort is usually harmless. Usually this is a rough approach to cleaning the cause. If symptoms such as pain, pressure, fever, dizziness or hearing loss are added, you should not "fumble around" yourself, but consult a doctor promptly. Because, for example, a non-timely treated middle ear can lead to inflammation of the inner ear, meningitis or mastoiditis (inflammation of the mastoid). Timely treatment can prevent this. (Sw)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)