Although bleeding from the ear can frighten us, we should know that they are not so rare and that in most cases it is still a harmless bleeding. But caution is definitely necessary and you should know when to call a doctor.
Any bleeding causes fear and worries the patient and those around him. Bleeding from the ear is an emergency or a condition that can be caused by serious diseases and requires a doctor’s examination. However, in most cases it is a harmless bleeding that resolves spontaneously, with milder therapeutic measures.
Bleeding from the ear is not so rare and can be caused most often by an injury or inflammation, and very rarely by tumors. In the case of injuries, “real” more abundant bleeding is possible, and in the case of inflammation, as a rule, it is a matter of scanty bleeding or bloody discharge. In tumors, bleeding is occasional and sometimes associated with purulent discharge. The source of the bleeding is the ear canal, ear drum or middle ear.
Bleeding in ear canal injuries
Injuries to the ear canal are most often the result of cleaning the ear with different hard objects. These are hygienic sticks for cleaning the ear, but often people, due to ear itching, push objects such as keys or paper clips into the ear canal and in the process injure the ear canal. In children, it is related to the cleaning of cerumen from the ear canal. Mothers usually do this with an ear cleaning stick that is too big, especially for children’s ear canals. If they are pushed in too deep, it can cause a rupture of the eardrum or, in the worst case scenario, an injury to the auditory ossicles that requires surgical treatment. Injury to the ear canal when mothers clean cerumen occurs for several reasons. The first reason is the clumsiness of the stick for cleaning the ears, the second is ignorance of the anatomy of the ear canal, which is not straight but curved. The third reason is the restlessness of the child when cleaning the ear.
An injury to the ear canal is an injury to the skin of the ear canal, so the wound is identical to any skin injury. If the bleeding after the injury is minor, it is enough to wipe the blood and put a sterile cotton ball in the ear canal for a short time. The bleeding stops quickly and if there is no pain, there is no need to go to the doctor. The sound pipe is not allowed urinate until it heals and the scab falls off spontaneously.
It is necessary to clean the wound and in such cases it is possible to instill antibiotic drops into the ear canal for several days. If the pain persists even after the injury and there is poor hearing, a doctor’s examination is mandatory in order to exclude the rupture of the ear canal, which requires a different behavior of the patient and sometimes additional treatment.
Bleeding in case of perforation of the ear drum
Perforations of the eardrum are caused by mechanical trauma, barotrauma or acoustic trauma.
- Mechanical trauma is sometimes associated with ear canal injury because the mechanism is the same as described above for ear canal injury. This is mostly caused by ear cleaning sticks that are pushed too deep and pierce the eardrum. Bleeding is scarce immediately after the injury, and bloody discharge is possible a few days after the injury. The pain of an eardrum injury is stronger than the pain of an ear canal injury. Ruptures of the eardrum are in most cases of a smaller extent, so they heal spontaneously. If this does not happen, surgical treatment is required
- Barotrauma occurs in people who are exposed to sudden changes in pressure during flying and diving. It is mainly in professionals who are related to the mentioned activities, and bleeding from the ear can be a sign of even a life-threatening condition
- Acoustic traumas occur when exposed to strong noise in the sense of a bang near the ear or a blow to the ear that can cause perforation of the eardrum and at the same time damage to the sensory cells in the cochlea.
Bleeding in the case of perforation of the eardrum is slightly less than in the case of injury to the ear canal. There may be impaired hearing or tinnitus, but also dizziness and nausea. Such an injury requires medical examination. Decongestant drops or nasal spray are usually prescribed, and antibiotics are prescribed for larger perforations. Perforation of the eardrum opens the body cavity and this is considered a dangerous injury through which the infection can penetrate to the inner ear or to the meninges.
For this reason, according to some injury classifications, ear drum perforation is considered a serious physical injury.
- It is strictly forbidden to blow the nose, because in this way air is blown through the Eustachian tube into the middle ear, thereby expanding the perforation and disrupting healing.
- It is also strictly forbidden to wet the ear due to the same danger of disrupting the healing of the perforation as well as spreading the infection.
- Antibiotic drops are also contraindicated.
The perforation heals in an average period of three weeks. If the perforation is large, surgical treatment is required.
Bleeding inflammation of the eardrum
Hemorrhagic ear infections most often occur in children of kindergarten age. Such inflammations of the eardrum occur as part of acute respiratory infections that are common for kindergarten children. The causative agent is viruses, most often Coxsackie virus type A, which is also the cause of sore throats called herpangina. Viruses cause blisters to form on the eardrum, which when burst cause minor bleeding from the ear. Such bleeding is harmless, but a doctor’s examination is still required. It is necessary to clean the ear canal of blood and clots. It is not necessary to drip antibiotic drops into the ear, but an acute respiratory infection is treated, mainly with decongestant drops or nasal sprays.
Bleeding in tumors of the ear canal
These are rare tumors. These are mainly cancers of the skin of the ear canal that occur in older people. In addition to the earache, there is also pain on the same side of the head and face, and if the tumor is enlarged, there is also a disturbance in the sensation of the facial skin. These tumors require surgical and sometimes additional oncological treatment.
This text was created in collaboration with portal “ADIVA – your portal for health”
