Fast Five Quiz: How Familiar Are You With Otitis Externa?

Patients may present with the following:

• Otalgia, ranging from mild to severe, typically progressing over 1-2 days

• Hearing loss

• Ear fullness or pressure

• Tinnitus

• Fever (occasionally)

• Itching (especially in fungal OE or chronic OE)

• Severe deep pain – If this is experienced by a patient who is immunocompromised or diabetic, be alert to the possibility of necrotizing (malignant) OE

• Discharge – Initially, the discharge may be clear and odorless, but it quickly becomes purulent and foul-smelling

• Bilateral symptoms (rare)

• Frequently, a history of exposure to or activities in water (eg, swimming, surfing, and kayaking)

• Usually, a history of preceding ear trauma (eg, forceful ear cleaning, use of cotton swabs, or water in the ear canal)

Complications of OE are rare and may include the following:

• Necrotizing OE (the most significant complication)

• Mastoiditis

• Chondritis of the auricle (from spread of acute OE to the pinna, particularly in patients with newly pierced ears)

• Bony erosion of the base of the skull (skull base osteomyelitis)

• Central nervous system infection

• Cellulitis or lymphadenitis

For more on the presentation of OE, read here.

Medscape © 2016  WebMD, LLC

Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Russell W. Steele. Fast Five Quiz: How Familiar Are You With Otitis Externa? - Medscape - May 17, 2016.