- Symptoms of Otitis externa
- What causes
- Remedies for Otitis externa
- Home treatment
- How to relieve ear pain
- How long does it take to heal
Otitis externa is the common ear infection in babies and children, but it also happens after going to the beach or the pool, for example.
The main symptoms are ear pain, itching and there may be fever or a whitish or yellowish discharge. Treatment can be done with medicines like Dipyrone or Ibuprofen, as indicated by the doctor. In cases where there is a yellowish discharge, indicating pus, the use of antibiotics may be necessary.
Symptoms of Otitis externa
Symptoms of ear infection at the most external part are milder than otitis media, and are:
- Ear pain, which may arise when pulling the ear slightly; Itching in the ear; Peeling of the skin of the ear canal; Redness or swelling of the ear; There may be whitish discharge; Perforation of the eardrum.
The doctor makes the diagnosis by observing inside the ear with an otoscope, in addition to observing the symptoms presented and their duration and intensity. If symptoms persist for more than 3 weeks, it may be appropriate to remove a part of the tissue to identify fungi or bacteria.
What causes
The most common cause is exposure to heat and humidity, common after going to the beach or pool, which facilitates the proliferation of bacteria, the use of cotton swabs, the introduction of small objects in the ear. However, other, rarer causes can occur, such as insect bites, excessive exposure to the sun or cold, or even autoimmune inflammatory diseases, such as lupus.
When ear infection becomes persistent, being called chronic external otitis, the causes can be the use of headphones, acoustic protectors, and the introduction of fingers or pens into the ear, for example.
Malignant or necrotizing external otitis, on the other hand, is a more aggressive and severe form of the infection, more common in people with compromised immunity or uncontrolled diabetics, which starts on the outside of the ear and progresses for weeks to months, causing intense ear involvement and strong symptoms. In these cases, treatment with more potent antibiotics may be indicated for an extended period of 4 to 6 weeks.
Remedies for Otitis externa
Treatment is carried out under the guidance of a general practitioner or otorhinologist, usually with the use of topical remedies that promote ear cleaning such as serum, alcoholic solutions, in addition to topical corticosteroids and antibiotics, such as Ciprofloxacino, for example. If the eardrum is perforated, 1.2% aluminum tartrate may be indicated 3 times a day, 3 drops.
The general practitioner or otorhinolaryngologist may recommend the use of painkillers, such as Dipyrone, Anti-inflammatories, such as Ibuprofen, especially in babies and children. Antibiotics to drip in the ear can be used in adolescents or adults, when there are signs of infection caused by bacteria, such as the presence of yellowish discharge (pus), bad smell in the ear or infection that does not stop even after 3 days of combined use of Dipyrone + Ibuprofen.
Medicines that can be used include neomycin, polymyxin, hydrocortisone, ciprofloxacin, ophthalmic optic, ophthalmic gentamicin and ophthalmic tobramycin.
Home treatment
To complement the treatment indicated by the doctor, it is also important to take certain home-based measures to recover faster:
- Avoid cleaning your ear with your fingers, cotton buds or pen caps, for example, preferring to clean only with the tip of a towel after bathing; if you go to the pool often use a cotton ball moistened with a little Vaseline inside the When washing your hair, prefer to lean your head forward and then dry your ear. Drink guaco tea with pennyroyal, because it helps to eliminate phlegm, being useful to cure the flu or cold faster. As the secretions aggravate the ear infection, this can be a good strategy for teenagers or adults.
If there is flaking or pus in the ear, you can clean the area with the tip of the clean towel soaked in warm water. Ear washing should not be performed at home, as there may be perforation of the eardrum to prevent the infection from getting worse.
How to relieve ear pain
A good way to relieve ear pain is to put a warm compress on your ear and rest. For that, you can iron a towel to warm up a little and then lie on it, touching the ear that is hurting. However, it does not exclude the need to use the medications indicated by the doctor.
How long does it take to heal
Ear infection must be treated with the medications indicated by the doctor and the cure arrives in approximately 3 weeks of treatment. In the case of the use of antibiotics, the treatment lasts 8 to 10 days, but when only analgesics and anti-inflammatories are used, the treatment lasts from 5 to 7 days, with improvement of symptoms on the second day of treatment.
