Proven ways to treat a boil in the ear. Furuncle in the ear: causes of boils, symptoms and treatment

According to statistics, almost 18% of ear diseases are localized otitis externa, or furuncle in the ear. This is a common pathology that occurs as an inflammatory process in the sebaceous gland or hair follicle of the auricle, is localized in the external auditory canal and in some cases affects the skin layer of the eardrum.

The occurrence of a pathological process in the ear is facilitated by infection with pathogenic microorganisms.

The reasons that lead to the formation of a purulent, painful lump are:

Low immunity that cannot resist the multiplication of bacteria. Frequent colds, hormonal disruptions, diabetes mellitus, stress, poor ecology, serious illnesses (HIV, oncology), long-term use of antibiotics lead to its decrease.
Mechanical damage to the skin of the auricle or lobe. It can be scratching, injury with sharp objects, insect bites.
The ingress of infected water into the external passage or the frequent use of foreign objects (ear plugs, vacuum headphones, hearing aids).
Associated ear diseases. The appearance of external boils can be a sign of ear diseases such as eustachitis or otitis media. Otitis media and inflammation of the eardrum also lead to purulent formations.
Poor hygiene, lack of care. The accumulation of dirt, sweat and sebum behind the ear leads to the multiplication of bacterial flora, which is easy to bring into the ear canal. Cleaning in various ways not intended for this - matches, pencils, fingers - also leads to injury and infection. The disease can be triggered by applying dirty phones to the auricle or using other people's headphones.

A provoking factor can be a narrowing of the ear canal due to illness, insufficient sulfur formation or a change in its composition.

causative agents of furunculosis

Acne in 90% of cases occurs due to a bacterial cause. Diagnostic studies have revealed that staphylococcal infection most often leads to the development of the inflammatory process. A common pathogen is Staphylococcus aureus, infection with which is accompanied by the release of purulent masses and the rapid spread of the pathogen.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which enters the ear with water during bathing, can also cause the disease. Sometimes fungal infections are detected. A mixed form is possible - fungal-bacterial.

The infection penetrates the ear canal, but begins to spread only with a weakened immune system. The situation is often aggravated by general hypothermia, chronic runny nose and sore throat.

To determine the pathogen, the doctor takes a swab from the area of inflammation. This is necessary for the appointment of an effective drug.

Main symptoms

With furunculosis, there are sensations of burning and dryness in the area of \u200b\u200bthe inflammatory process. This is the first sign that a person pays attention to. The pain appears with swelling and skin changes in the auricle, aggravated by turning the head, chewing, touching the auricle and moving it. In some cases, the head hurts, especially the temporal lobes.

With severe inflammation, the patient feels hearing impairment, partial temporary deafness is possible. The temperature rises to 37-38 °C.

Subsequently, there is a seal with purulent contents. The pimple often opens on its own, in rare cases, surgery is required. On average, the illness lasts 7-10 days.

What can be done at home

If a boil is found in the internal auditory canal or near the ear, it is recommended to contact an otolaryngologist.

If the pain is severe, before going to the hospital, you can alleviate the condition with the help of painkillers and warm compresses. Both “dry” heat and a heating pad with water are suitable here. Alcohol lotions can also be used.

You can reduce itching with an iodine solution. It is better not to bring down the temperature up to 38 ° C, as the body is fighting the disease.

Squeezing out the boil is prohibited. This can lead to the spread of infection to deeper tissues. To quickly cope with the disease at the initial stage, ointments with a pulling action (ichthyol, heparin) will help. They contribute to the maturation and opening of education.

After opening the boil, antibacterial drops and ointments (Levomekol, tetracycline ointment) will help to avoid the attachment of a secondary infection.

How to treat a boil in the ears

The effectiveness of treatment depends on the timeliness of the patient's treatment to a specialist. The place where the boil jumped out is also important. The doctor will examine and take a swab to identify the pathogen. With a competent approach, the prognosis is favorable.

Medical treatment

At the initial stage, therapy includes the following:

antibiotics in ampoules (intramuscularly) and / or tablets (orally);
the introduction of turunda soaked in boric alcohol into the ear canal;
antiseptic preparations;
taking vitamins and immunostimulants;
physiotherapy - microwave, ultraviolet.

After opening the boil, the turunda is impregnated with a solution of sodium chloride or penicillin.

Surgical removal

Surgery is rarely used, only if necessary. This procedure is recommended:

with the formation of several large abscesses;
if the boil does not open on its own within 10 days;
in case of complications such as parotitis, lymphadenitis;
with severe migraines and high fever.

In the presence of such indications, it is necessary to consult a doctor. The operation is performed under local anesthesia: a small incision is made through which the purulent contents are removed. Then the operated area is treated with an antiseptic, which is prescribed by a specialist.

Folk remedies

Such therapy includes a number of effective methods that will help remove the boil without pills:

Poke a hole in the center of a medium bulb. Pour linseed oil into it, put in the oven. Cool the juice from the baked onion to a comfortable temperature. Bury in a sore ear until the condition improves.
In chronic furunculosis, take 0.5 tsp daily. purified sulfur powder. Add it to milk or cereals.
You can make a cake of honey and rye flour and apply to a pimple at night. Top with paper and wrap with a cloth.
Bandage made from a mixture of fir oil and Vishnevsky balm. Proportions 7:3. The bandage is impregnated with this composition, tightly applied to the boil, fixed with adhesive tape. The bandage is changed 2-3 times a day.
As a warming compress, a mixture of onion and garlic cloves is suitable. Plants are crushed in equal proportions, fried. The resulting mixture is placed in gauze and inflammation is treated.

In the absence of positive dynamics within 2-3 days, it is recommended to consult a doctor to prescribe medication.

Complications

Furunculosis requires mandatory treatment. Even with self-opening, pus can get into the middle ear. The infection will penetrate deeper, causing parotitis, which affects the central nervous system. To avoid this, it is recommended to sleep only on the side of the affected ear or on the back.

With the advanced form of the disease, the development of hearing loss of varying degrees is possible. The ear canals are located close to the nasal cavity, jaw, and brain. With low immunity, the infection can enter the circulatory system. Spreading throughout the body, it will affect other organs, which will lead to:

meningitis;
thrombosis;
the appearance of numerous boils throughout the body;
encephalitis;
sepsis.

Such complications will not pass without a trace for the patient. It is important to consult a specialist if discomfort occurs in the auricle.

Furunculosis can also spread to the ear area, although this happens infrequently. The disease is manifested by purulent formations inside the auricle. A small wound can cause necrosis of a small area of tissue and accumulation of pus.

Education gives the patient severe discomfort, interferes with eating and sleeping. In some cases, it must be removed surgically. Even if the boil in the ear does not cause severe inconvenience, you still need to treat and monitor its condition.

Causes of an abscess

The main cause of an abscess is the entry of staphylococcus into the open area of \u200b\u200bthe ear (wound, damaged epidermis).

The body struggles with a foreign invasion, enclosing a bacterium in a limited area - a boil. An inflammatory process begins, due to which a necrotic rod appears - dead tissue. In addition to it, pus appears - a product of the death of lymphocytes that participated in the fight against infection.

Infection with staphylococcus aureus can be associated with:

improper hygiene of the ear area, in which a cotton swab or other cleaning object scratches the epidermis;
non-observance of elementary hygiene (when microcracks appear in the epidermis, which was not cleaned, the bacterium penetrates the tissue);
beriberi, in which peeling occurs;
the passage in the body of such a syndrome as exudative erythema (severe allergic reaction);
lack of immunity;
catarrhal or internal inflammatory disease.

The cause of a boil is significant only if it appeared as a result of general furunculosis and purulent lesions from the middle ear. The rest of the lesions that cause an abscess are secondary. During treatment, the therapist focuses on the abscess and the purulent cap.

Note: The cause of microcracks, wounds in the skin of the ear can be an allergic reaction. In this case, it is necessary to take antiallergic tablets.

The main symptoms of furunculosis

Symptomatically, inflammation in the ear is similar to many ear diseases. The main sign of the development of an abscess is pain in the ear. Breaks the junction of the auricle and head. Other symptoms are already more specific:

in the first stages of infection, the skin turns red, turns purple;
at the location of the wound, a whitish growth is formed - a place of accumulation of pus;
inside the formed growth, you can see a rod, and also a place where the pus will soon break through;
the patient experiences pain when eating;
painful sensations are aggravated by yawning, talking, opening and closing the jaw;
when touching the area of the ear canal, there is a sharp unpleasant feeling and a desire to urgently remove the hand;
lymph nodes located next to the abscess are enlarged;
insomnia due to pain;
mild fever accompanied by chills.

With furunculosis, a complex of symptoms is manifested. Most often, the inflamed area itches, abscesses, slowly transforms into a mature abscess. Pain and discomfort pass when development is completed: the abscess bursts, releasing the necrotic rod and suppuration products.

Diagnosis of the disease

In most cases, it is enough to visually inspect the area of \u200b\u200bthe auricle to detect the disease. Any redness and swelling should be noted. The area where the abscess appears should be inspected (from the inside, not the outside). It is convenient to do this with a mirror and a flashlight.

If it was not possible to find the location of the abscess, the diagnosis should be determined already in the clinic. The therapist should pay attention to:

general history (complaints according to the patient);
appearance of the auricle;
blood and urine tests.

Taking material for analysis and examining it in order to identify the problem is a rare but effective method for detecting an inflammatory process. With the accelerated development of a large abscess, the structure of blood and urine changes. In them, more leukocytes are found, in the urine - erythrocytes.

In rare cases, ultrasound or x-rays are used for diagnosis. Such procedures are associated with suspicion of the internal location of the source of inflammation. They are carried out with suspicion of inflammation of the middle ear.

The main task of the diagnostician with suspicions of purulent formations is to separate furunculosis from mastoiditis. The second disease occurs with otitis media, which occurs in a complicated form.

A boil in the ear is characterized by more point pains, swelling in the area of only the junction of the ear and head. Hearing does not change during the development of an abscess, although the formation affects the nerve endings. X-rays are used to differentiate diseases. Only causes the changed state in the snapshot.

Treatment methods for furunculosis

Treatment of a boil can take place without the advice of a doctor. You can perform procedures related to the processing of build-up on your own. But even with home treatment, it is important to remember that therapy must be carried out in strict accordance with the instructions for the drugs. If the patient's condition worsens, it is necessary to switch to professional treatment.

If there is a seal in the ear, at the very beginning of therapy, it is necessary to determine what type of treatment the patient needs. There are two options:

conservative, that is, non-surgical, method;
surgery of the inflamed area.

Conservative treatment

Conservative treatment helps those whose condition does not go beyond the norm. A boil in the ear of medium size and with a standard maturation period of 3-5 days does not need to be removed. It should be removed medically or through procedures.

Before the breakthrough of the abscess, you should take drugs aimed at combating pain and inflammation. Conventional analgesics will not work: they have too little effect. For home treatment, it is recommended to create a mini-first aid kit from the following medicines:

directed against tissue inflammation (Efferalgan or Panadol);
the simplest antipyretics in case of a rise in temperature;
vitamin complexes with signs of beriberi.

To relieve pain, it is recommended to make turundas with soothing compounds. After opening the formation and removing the pus, the turundas are soaked in saline and inserted into the ear area to dry out the abscess and the likely harmful cells that could remain from the pus.

In case of a serious course of the disease, the patient is referred for instrumental treatment. Ultraviolet irradiation, microwave and UHF techniques will help to cope with constant recurrences of a boil, overcome a large abscess in the ear.

Be sure to prescribe antibiotics for both oral and external use. A penicillin emulsion is applied to the skin, and other antibiotics are taken orally in tablets. In extreme cases, two types of injections are prescribed:

autohematotherapeutic;
penicillin.

In the first case, the patient's own blood, taken from a vein, is injected into the muscle tissues.

Surgery

If frequent relapses have been noticed, the furuncle in the ear has been ripening for more than 5 days or it causes severe pain, the therapist prescribes surgical treatment. Under general or local anesthesia, the growth is opened, all contents are removed. After the main procedures, the wound must be treated with alcohol and saline.

Surgical intervention allows you to get rid of an abscess in less than an hour. But after surgery, the wound remains open for some time, because of which an infection can again get into it.

Prevention

Preventive measures for the formation of a boil are, first of all, the observance of the rules of personal hygiene and the correct one. It is necessary to pay attention to the condition of the skin in the auricle, not to let it crack, peel and dry.

The second measure necessary for furunculosis is the intake of a vitamin complex and the right lifestyle. With improper nutrition, the secretion of toxins through the skin increases, the body picks up the infection more easily, and the tissues become inflamed. A lack of vitamins leads to cracking of the skin up to the appearance of bloody traces. Such phenomena must be eliminated.

On the street, you need to constantly protect your ears from wind and frostbite, make sure that there is no pain due to cool air. Immunity has a significant impact on the patient's condition and the risk of developing furunculosis. With its low rate, relapses will occur much more often.

Video: Folk way

Unfortunately, many of us know firsthand about such an unpleasant phenomenon as a boil. It is a painful purulent inflammation of the hair follicle (bulb) and can occur on almost any part of the skin.

Furuncle in the ear canal appears as a rule due to mechanical damage to the skin. For example, small scratches can occur when combing or cleaning the ears with objects that are not intended for this - matches, pins, etc. Staphylococcus bacteria are very easily introduced into the wound, causing inflammation and subsequent suppuration.

Furuncle in the ear is formed on the hairy area of the external auditory cover. At this moment, a dense nodule becomes inflamed on the skin, causing a rather strong throbbing pain that spreads to the temples and jaw. This process may be accompanied by general malaise, fever, difficulty chewing.

Inflammation can go away in a few days, and can last for several weeks, if the opening of the abscess provokes the appearance of new boils. Therefore, it is highly recommended not to squeeze, open or pierce the boil on your own - inaccurate actions and non-sterile instruments can lead to the spread of infection.

Causes of boils in the ears

A furuncle in the ear can occur due to a number of reasons. The most frequent are the following:

1.Microtrauma of the ear canal. When cleaning the ears, it is easy to scratch the thin skin of the ear, after which bacteria enter the wound and the formation of purulent inflammation begins;

2. Lack of hygiene or non-compliance with the rules of hygiene of the auricle. When cleaning the ears, it must be taken into account that cotton swabs are intended for the auricle, but not for the ear canal. Be careful not to damage the skin and not bring an infection into the ear;

3. Reduced immunity is one of the causes of all types of boils, including those in the ear. Immunity can be reduced as a result of a cold, due to taking antibiotics, due to beriberi, etc.;

4. Often, boils occur due to metabolic disorders in the body, as well as due to malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract or endocrine system. Therefore, if inflammation is not isolated and occurs regularly, it is recommended to consult a doctor.

How to recognize a boil in the auricle

The main symptom of the appearance of a furuncle in the ear is aching or twitching pain in the ear canal, which is usually preceded by itching and redness of the skin. Pain may be aggravated by chewing, talking, or touching the ear.

In some cases, the pain spreads to the area behind the ear, jaw or temple. This is due to the peculiarities of the location of the trigeminal nerve, which reacts to the appearance of inflammation.

Often, a boil in the ear is accompanied by a headache.

In cases where the boil reaches a large size and blocks the ear canal, there may be some hearing loss.

At the stage of abscess formation, that is, the spread of bacterial flora to nearby tissues, when the boil has not yet opened and there is no free outflow of purulent contents from the wound, an increase in body temperature, an increase in lymph nodes and a deterioration in general well-being are possible.

After the breakthrough of the boil occurs, the pain decreases, the temperature returns to normal, and pus may flow from the ear canal. At this time, it is recommended to sleep on a sore ear, because during sleep, purulent masses can go deep into the ear and cause serious problems.

The intensity and duration of the symptoms of inflammation of the hair follicle in the ear directly depend on the severity of the inflammatory process, the characteristics of the immunity of a particular person, timely and competent treatment.

Precautions for a boil in the ear

Trying to treat boils at home, many of us perform actions that can lead to very dangerous consequences, so a timely visit to a doctor would be the best decision in this case.

In no case should you squeeze or pierce the boil. You need to wait until it matures and breaks through on its own. Otherwise, it can provoke the spread of infection to nearby tissues and cause sepsis.

Water must be avoided. Therefore, douching, washing and similar procedures are strictly prohibited. Until the abscess completely disappears, it is better to refuse bathing, in particular, washing your hair.

Incorrect treatment can cause carbuncles (multiple boils), sepsis, so getting rid of boils in the ear must be approached with all responsibility, observing the necessary precautions.

Treatment of boils in a hospital

Depending on the severity of the inflammation, the treatment of furunculosis can occur in a hospital or at home.

In any case, you need to contact an otolaryngologist. The doctor will conduct an examination and prescribe therapeutic procedures aimed at removing the purulent contents of the boil, reducing inflammation and healing the wound.

As a rule, the first thing the doctor prescribes to the patient is an antibiotic: tetracycline, erythromycin, amoxicillin, augmentin and similar drugs.

If ear furunculosis is accompanied by fever and severe pain, the doctor may recommend antipyretic and pain medications, often in combination with immunostimulants and vitamins.

In particularly difficult cases, you may need a course of physiotherapy, which includes ultrasonic irradiation of the ear area.

Inflammation of the boil is removed with turundas (narrow gauze swabs) with 3% boric alcohol and glycerin. Gauze turunda is impregnated with the mixture and inserted into the ear canal.

As a rule, inflammation of the follicle in the ear is completely cured by the above measures within 10 days at home. But occasionally, in particularly difficult cases, to remove large boils, the doctor may resort to surgery. During it, a fully mature abscess is opened with a small incision under local anesthesia, pus and a necrotic rod are removed, and then the wound is washed with an antibacterial solution. Within a few days after the operation, drops with an antibiotic are instilled into the ear, turundas with healing solutions and ointments are placed in the ear canal.

Home treatment for a boil in the ear

If you have the opportunity to visit a doctor, then in this case self-medication is extremely wrong.

Consider the measures that can be taken to treat a boil in the ear at home if the doctor is not available for any reason. Depending on the stage of the inflammatory process in the ear canal, the possible measures taken will vary.

At the first signs of furunculosis (itching, redness, skin irritation), you can lubricate the affected area with tincture of iodine. If measures are taken in time, further development of inflammation can be avoided.

If the appearance of a boil could not be avoided, then the next thing to do is to use dry heat for the diseased ear, which will speed up the process of abscess formation. In this capacity, you can use a warm heating pad, or a Minin reflector, popularly known as the "blue lamp". The lamp in addition to the warming effect has a bactericidal and antiviral effect. With warming up, you need to be extremely careful. Every day, it is enough to give this procedure 15 minutes, no more, otherwise you can provoke the spread of infection.

There are many traditional medicine recipes aimed at helping in the fight against furunculosis, accelerating the maturation of the abscess and healing the resulting wound. We present the most popular of them.

When the boil is on an open area of the skin, it is easier to deal with it, but when an abscess has arisen in the ear, onion and linseed oil can help out. A large onion is taken, in the center of it a deepening in the form of a funnel is made with a knife, where a small amount of linseed oil is poured. The onion is baked in the oven. The juice obtained in this way is instilled into the ear or applied to gauze turunda, which needs to close the ear canal for several hours or at night.

To accelerate the maturation of the boil, you can use a solution of borax (sodium tetraborate). A tablespoon of the substance must be dissolved in 200 ml of boiled water and the resulting liquid should be applied to the inflammation in the ear canal with the help of turundas. Boric alcohol has a similar effect, it can be replaced with borax.

Treatment of a boil can be carried out with the help of calendula. For this, a tablespoon of calendula is crushed and mixed with 30 grams of petroleum jelly. The resulting mass is applied to the boil. The procedure is repeated 4-5 times during the day.

Not bad contributes to the rapid breakthrough of the boil garlic. It is necessary to take a strip of clean cloth, soak it with vegetable oil and rub it with squeezed garlic. Roll the tissue so that the resulting mass is inside the tube and apply for several hours to the inflammation two to three times a day.

Thus, there are many ways to deal with boils in the ears, but it must be remembered that treatment with traditional medicine at home should be carried out only after agreement with the attending physician and combined with the methods and preparations of official medicine.

The furuncle of the external auditory canal is dangerous for its complications, so effective treatment should follow immediately after diagnosis. In order for intensive therapy to be successful, the first step is to identify the pathogenic factor and eliminate it from the life of a clinical patient. In addition to weak immunity, the causes of a boil in the ear can be as follows:

painful inflammation of the outer ear;
acute pain in the earlobe;
a consequence of improper hygiene;
discomfort with swelling of the ear canal;
violation of the rules for cleaning the ear canal;
increase in body temperature;
mechanical damage to the ear;
complication of colds;
accession of a secondary infection;
progressive otitis media;
reduced immune response of the body.

A furuncle appears in the membranous-cartilaginous part of the auditory canal when the follicle, sulfuric, and sweat glands are affected by staphylococcus aureus.

Main reasons:

The development of an inflammatory infectious process in the area of the external auditory canal is not uncommon. In this part of the body there are many sweat glands, the excretory ducts of which open next to the hairs.

The main causes leading to purulent inflammation of the follicle are:

blockage of the sebaceous gland and infection;
microcracks and injuries of the ear mucosa;
some autoimmune diseases, diabetes, hormone-dependent asthma;
general hypothermia of the body;
selection middle ear pus;
reduced immunity;
avitaminosis.

When the body is weakened, its resistance to various infections decreases, this can lead to the development of furunculosis. With this disease, boils spread throughout the body.

In the photo, the furuncle of the external auditory canal

Correctly curing a boil is very important, especially for babies, but you need to know why it appears. There may be several reasons, but the most important is poor hygiene.

The child must be taught from the very beginning that hands should always be washed, dirty hands should not be put into the mouth, nose, ears, comb wounds and scratches. They begin to do this from a very young age, the child then automatically begins to observe hygiene himself.

A boil may also appear due to mechanical damage, that is, scratching with various objects, often dirty. Staphylococcus enters the resulting micro-scratch and suppuration begins, which must be cured.

Sometimes the cause is inflammation due to a cold if the child is blown away in frosty, damp weather.

Symptoms of a boil in the auricle

The first signs indicating that it is necessary to start treatment for a boil are burning, swelling, redness, slight itching and skin hyperemia.

Symptoms may include bursting headaches, piercing pains in the ear itself, irritability. In children, such symptoms are especially difficult: the baby is naughty, may refuse food, and constantly reaches for the sore spot.

Furuncle in the ear manifests itself in several stages. Primary symptoms may go unnoticed, especially if the formation is localized in an area that is practically not irritated in daily activities.

The causative agent of the infection are representatives of the pathogenic flora (staphylococci and streptococci) of the skin.

How to distinguish a real boil from a simple pimple

The appearance of a boil, or boil, is accompanied by symptoms such as slight itching, redness and slight swelling, which only intensifies over time. As the boil develops, the pain becomes more and more unbearable.

The process of treating a boil in the ear for a patient is usually difficult, since constantly shooting pain in the ear and severe pain in the head, radiating to the eye or jaw, lead to disability. The disease is accompanied by general weakness, fever, irritability. Furunculosis causes special suffering to children and people engaged in mental work.

Symptoms and Causes

At the first symptoms of the disease, treatment should begin immediately. At the initial stage (infiltration), the development of a boil can be stopped.

A characteristic ailment at an early stage is accompanied by itching and discomfort in the auricle and ear canal, but it is difficult to differentiate furunculosis on this basis. Unpleasant and even painful symptoms appear when the boil on the earlobe has finally formed.

Eloquent manifestations of this disease, which need to pay special attention, are detailed below:

sensation of dryness and burning in the ear canal;
visible manifestation of swelling of the focus of pathology;
the appearance of acute pain in the focus of pathology;
hyperemia of the skin, ear;
enlarged parotid lymph nodes;
acute migraine attacks, temple pain;
partial or complete deafness.

Manifestation symptoms:

Due to the activity of bacteria that have entered the passage of the sebaceous gland or a microcrack, the walls of the hair follicle become inflamed.

First, the patient feels a slight tingling, slight itching, and then after 24-48 hours a bright red seal appears on the skin, which slowly increases in size.
Further, the boil takes on a shape similar to a cone, which in size can reach 1.5-2 cm in diameter. The bump that appears is very painful.
The pain is aggravated by touch. The patient's temperature rises, appetite disappears, sleep worsens.
Then the tissues inside the follicle die, and suppuration occurs. A purulent head appears at the top of the cone with a black rod in the center.
A boil develops usually about a week. A breakthrough occurs after a few days with the release of a large amount of pus, after which a black necrotic rod comes out.
Further, the wound begins to clear, and healing occurs quite quickly. As a result, a small whitish scar is formed.

Diagnosis of the disease is not difficult, since its symptoms are quite specific. The disease can be diagnosed in the following ways:

ear palpation;
pulling towards the auricle;
pressure on the cartilaginous tissue at the bottom of the auricle;
examination by an otolaryngologist using special instruments.

Furuncle in the ear canal when viewed with an otoscope

If a boil appears in the ear, the first signs will soon make themselves felt. Namely:

itching, burning, discomfort in the ear canal;
redness inside the auricle, the appearance of a red tubercle;
painful sensations, sometimes strong, shooting, pain, aggravated by touching the inflamed area, as well as by chewing, talking and other jaw movements;
swelling of the ear canal, hearing loss;
headache or temporal pain on the side of the affected ear;
sometimes fever and swollen lymph nodes;
sleep disturbance, irritability, irascibility, especially if a boil has formed in the child's ear.
at a late stage of the disease, when spontaneous opening of the boil occurs, purulent discharge from the ear is observed, while pain decreases.

Diagnosis of inflammation does not require special studies, since the symptoms are quite simple.

Remember! Before starting treatment, you need to consult a doctor of a narrow specialty - an otolaryngologist.

In the initial stage, the patient feels a burning sensation and discomfort in the affected area. There are also the following symptoms:

increasing pain expands the boundaries, giving to the temple and jaw from the focus of inflammation;
pressing on the tragus (cartilaginous tubercle), the patient feels pain;
an enlarged abscess blocks the ear canal, reducing hearing;

Diagnostics

In most cases, the diagnosis of a boil consists in examining the auricle and ear canal. This is the task of the otolaryngologist.

Until the boil bursts in the ear, timely examination of the focus of pathology, resuscitation and conservative treatment are required. A correct diagnosis is half the success on the road to a speedy recovery. Mandatory laboratory tests and clinical examinations in a hospital are presented below:

examination of the auricle and canal with an otoscope;
urinalysis for the presence of glucose;
radiography and ultrasound in complicated clinical pictures.

In order to properly organize the treatment of the furuncle of the external auditory canal (or treatment for its other localization on the organ of hearing), you must first carry out a diagnosis. That is, to determine whether it is really a boil or an ordinary pimple.

Most often, an adult can make a diagnosis on his own.

If negative sensations indicate an abscess in the ear, what can and cannot be done.

examine the affected area with a mirror, pulling the auricle or pressing on the cartilage above the lobe;
if this is not possible, then gently feel it with cleanly washed fingers;
wipe with alcohol to disinfect nearby parts of the skin.

You can also determine the boil behind the ear or in the ear visually. But in order to fully verify the presence of this problem and identify the cause that caused such a neoplasm, you should contact an otolaryngologist.

The doctor makes a visual examination of the chiria, feels it and indicates the stage of its development. After that, a course of treatment is prescribed.

Occasionally, ultrasound and radiography are used.

It is not necessary to take tests when diagnosing a problem, since the formation of a boil can only contribute to a slight increase in leukocytes in the blood.

How to diagnose a boil:

examination of the patient by a therapist, palpation of the ear;
retraction of the auricle;
impact on the cartilage located at the bottom of the auricle);
examination by an ENT using special tools.

Diagnosis of a boil is not difficult, because the symptoms for inflammation of the external auditory canal are quite specific. Swelling of the mastoid process can mislead the doctor or complicate the diagnosis.

With a more thorough examination and over time, the diagnosis is simplified.