In daily life, I believe that you must have had such an experience, when you are doing something, your ears suddenly have a strange itch, so that you can't help but pull out a little fast, the result is not only did not pull out anything, but the more you dig more and more itchy, too much force will be brought out of the trace of blood. What makes our ears itch so much? I'll talk to you about it today.
01 Fungal otitis externa
Fungal otitis externa is a subacute or chronic inflammatory disease of the skin of the external auditory canal, most of which are thought to be caused by fungal infections, often with bacterial infections. The disease tends to occur in tropical or subtropical regions, and is more common in hot and humid seasons.
Clinical manifestations are: itching in the ear, sometimes itchy, especially at night.
The principle of treatment is: after the removal of fungal scabs and secretions in the external auditory canal, topical use of antifungal drugs.
prophylaxis:
1. Enhance resistance: living regularly, balanced diet, appropriate exercise.
2. Pay attention to ear hygiene, there is a gland with secretory function in the ear canal - cerumen gland, the resulting substance is called cerumen, which is acidic, and it can protect the skin of the external ear canal. Frequent ear digging can destroy its protective function. Advise you not to experience individual ear picking, the process may be very comfortable, the ending may not be necessarily. Many people have had this experience before they get this disease.
3. Do not use ofloxacin ear drops to the ear without permission. If there is inflammation of the external auditory canal or tympanic membrane, general application should not exceed 2 weeks. to prevent secondary fungal infections of the external auditory canal.
(Source: Tencent Medical Code)
02 Eczema of the external auditory canal
Eczema of the external auditory canal is a common skin disease, the main feature is itching, easy to recur, divided into acute and chronic categories.
Acute eczema is locally itchy with burning sensation, most common in infants and young children.
Treatment principle: When the ear is dry and there is no exudation, 10%-15% zinc oxide ointment can be applied externally. Care should be taken to keep the external auditory canal clean and dry, avoid scratching, and avoid hot water, soapy water and irritating drugs.
03 Mites
Mites are one of the common allergens that cover almost the whole world. The structure of the ear is more complex, usually can not be cleaned, may give mites a chance. Let the mite enter the ear canal, the ear suddenly appears itchy, it is likely that the mite appears in the ear canal.
1. Most patients with mites on the ears are related to mites on bed sheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases. For this situation, patients are required to often use boiling water to wash sheets, sheets, and exposure to sunlight, so that mites are not easy to reappear.
2. For patients with mites on the ears, clinically invisible to the naked eye, in this case it is recommended to go to the hospital for further examination, if necessary, the doctor will suck up the ear endocrines and moist substances to avoid the formation of an internal environment for the growth of mites.
3. Apply topical anti-mite ointment to the external auditory canal as directed by the doctor.
4. Friends who have pets at home also need to pay attention, it is especially important to do vaccinations for pets regularly, beware of parasites infecting owners or crawling into the ears to cause discomfort.
04 Allergic reactions
In daily life, allergic reactions are everywhere. There are people who are allergic to food; there are people who are allergic to pollen or dust.
Clinical manifestations: itchy ears, eczema of the external auditory canal, debris and exudation on the ears.
Principle of treatment: If it is a specific allergy, the patient has symptoms such as ear itching, swelling, congestion and other symptoms when exposed to an allergen, it is recommended to use anti-allergic drugs, such as desloratadine tablets orally, and the local area with severe symptoms can be applied with ointment containing hormones.
2. If it is simple itching, and there is yellow water, there is pain, consider that it is caused by eczema infection of the external ear canal, and the ointment can be applied locally, such as hydrocortisone, to relieve the symptoms.
3. Environmental control, drug therapy, immunotherapy and health education should be the mainstay.
05 Other factors
For example, the elderly will also cause excessive dryness and itching due to decreased skin elasticity, thin epidermis, and reduced sweat.
In addition, the most common outpatient causes itching of the ear is a foreign body in the external auditory canal, which is more common in broken hair falling into the ear after a haircut. Usually due to relatively short hair entering the external auditory canal during shampooing, combing and cutting, causing patients with itchy ears, ear pain, ear discomfort, and in severe cases, it will cause inflammation of the external ear canal and the appearance of symptoms such as tinnitus and earache.
Ear itching may be caused by otological diseases, and the best solution is to go to the Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Department for professional help. Now you can decisively put down the cotton swab in your hand, remember, ear itch is not what you want to take out!
Author: Du Jingyan
Editor: Du Jingyan