Ear Problems
See complete list of symptom flow charts
**The following is a general guideline from the American Medical Association. The flowchart below allows you to easily track your symptoms and come to a possible diagnosis. Be sure to consult with you doctor if you feel you have a serious medical problem.
I did not produce this chart myself, so any treatment options on this page are completely conventional.The following flowchart was reproduced with permission.
SYMPTOMS | DIAGNOSIS | SELF-CARE | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Begin Here | ||||
1. Do you have a fever? | No | Go to Question 5.* | ||
Yes | ||||
2. Are you experiencing pain deep in the ear and/or fluid draining from the ear? | Yes | You may have OTITIS MEDIA, an infection of the middle ear. | See your doctor. Many ear infections will safely clear up on their own, but others require antibiotics. | |
No | ||||
3. Do you have redness and swelling of the outer ear and the surrounding skin? | Yes | Your ear canal, outer ear and the skin around your ear may be seriously INFECTED. | URGENT SEE YOUR DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY. |
|
No | ||||
4. Do you have a headache-type pain and redness behind your ear or tenderness when you touch the bone behind your ear? | Yes | Your pain may be from MASTOIDITIS, an infection of the bone behind the ear, or from an ENLARGED LYMPH NODE. | URGENT SEE YOUR DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY. |
|
No | ||||
*5. Do you have thick pus-filled or bloody drainage from the ear canal that started after a sharp, sudden pain? | Yes | You may have a RUPTURED EARDRUM. | See your doctor. Avoid infection by keeping your ear dry while it’s healing. Putting a warm heating pad on your ear may help relieve the pain. | |
No | ||||
6. Is your ear swollen, and does it itch or hurt when you pull on your ear or earlobe? | Yes | Your pain may be caused by OTITIS EXTERNA, an infection of the ear canal that is also called swimmer’s ear. | See your doctor. Keep your ear dry while it’s healing. Putting a warm heating pad over your ear may help relieve the pain.You can prevent swimmer’s ear by placing 3 to 5 drops of a half-alcohol, half-white vinegar solution in the ear before and after swimming or taking showers. | |
No | ||||
7. Does your jaw joint “crack” when you chew or open your mouth, or do you feel tenderness in your jaw? | Yes | TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT (TMJ) SYNDROME, a disorder that affects the jaw joint, may be the source of your pain. | Try an anti-inflammatory medicine. Try massaging the sore muscles around your jaw. Moist heat or cold packs may also help relieve the pain.If there’s no improvement in a week or 2, see your dentist or doctor. If you’re experiencing severe pain or you can’t open your jaw, see your doctor right away. | |
No | ||||
8. Do you hear fluid in your ear, and feel pressure or stuffiness that can’t be cleared with coughing, yawning or swallowing, and do you have cold or flu symptoms? | Yes | Your ear discomfort may be caused by aBLOCKED EUSTACHIAN TUBE. Colds and the flu often lead to this condition. | Try an over-the-counter decongestant medicine for a few days. Putting a warm heating pad on your ear may help relieve the pain.If the pain is intense or doesn’t go away in 1 or 2 days, see your doctor. | |
No | ||||
9. Do you have tooth pain on the same side as the ear pain when you bite down? | Yes | A tooth problem can radiate pain to the ear on the same side. | Try a mild over-the-counter pain reliever, and see your dentist. | |
No | ||||
10. Did your ear pain start during an airplane flight or right after you traveled on an airplane? | Yes | You may have BAROTRAUMA, also called airplane ear, which is caused by changes in altitude and air pressure. | If your symptoms don’t improve in a few hours or if the pain is severe, see your doctor. | |
No | ||||
11. Can you see or feel a “pimple” in the ear canal? | Yes | A small INFECTION in the ear canal may be the cause. | The infection will probably go away by itself in 2 to 5 days. A mild pain reliever and warm compresses may help relieve the pain.See your doctor if the pain becomes severe or if redness and warmth spread into the ear. | |
No | ||||
12. Is the affected person a child who doesn’t have ear pain or redness but is having problems hearing? | Yes | This may be caused by a buildup of fluid (SEROUS OTITIS) or a buildup of wax in the ear canal (CERUMINOSIS). | Talk to your doctor. He or she can tell you how to treat the wax or fluid buildup. | |
No | ||||
For more information, please talk to your doctor. If you think your problem is serious, call your doctor right away. |
Source: American Medical Association (2008-04-21). American Medical Association Family Medical Guide (AMA Family Medical Guide) (Kindle Locations 6690-6691). Turner Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.