Let's hear it for healthy ears

A ringing sound in your ear? A dull ache? It may be an on-and-off pain or a persistent throbbing. Either way, an earache shouldn’t be ignored. 

There are two categories of earaches to know about. A primary earache is due to some form of inner or outer ear disease. Secondary earache is associated with problems elsewhere in the body, in which the pain is felt in the ear (known as referred pain).  

Earache is very common in children, as the anatomy of their Eustachian tube makes them more susceptible to more infections. Earaches are most common in summer, when allergies and swimming play a role. Smoking predisposes to ear infection, affecting children as passive smokers. 

Primary earache may be caused by conditions affecting the:

• Outer ear canal: trauma, foreign bodies, infection, (otitis externa), impacted wax, malignancies, and allergies.
• Middle ear (otitis media) acute or chronic infection, ruptured eardrum, and Eustachian tube dysfunction. 

You can also get an earache from:

• A tooth infection.
• Problems in the jaw joint (temporo-mandibular joint).
• Parotid (salivary) gland disorders.
• Tonsillitis, pharyngitis and sinusitis.
• Cancer of the tongue, pharynx and oesophagus.

Banish earache:

• Stop smoking and keep children away from environmental cigarette smoke.
• Take care to manage your allergies.
• Keep the ear canals dry – for example, after swimming or washing hair.
• Avoid putting foreign objects like cotton-tipped buds into your ears.
• Relieve the Eustachian tube discomfort in older children by chewing gum.
• A combination of paracetamol and an anti-inflammatory (e.g. Ibuprofen) will relieve most earaches until it can be
  assessed by a doctor.

Protect your ears

• Avoid using objects to clean inside your ears. Your ears are self-cleansing. Cleaning inside your ear with an earbud, bobby pin
  or your fingernail may tear the skin. If you have excess ear wax build-up, have it removed by a healthcare professional. 
• Keep your ear canals dry: dry your ears after swimming and hair-washing, shake out excess water in your ears, and wear
  earplugs while swimming. 
• Control your allergies. Inflammation caused by allergies can contribute to ear infection and ear pain. 
• Stop smoking and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. Cigarette smoke can increase the frequency and severity of ear infections.  
• Stay up to date with immunisations, including those for flu as ear infections often occur after flu.

Time for the doctor

• You have an earache or fullness in the ear. This is especially important if you also have a fever, have recently had an upper respiratory tract infection, or if this pain is plaguing your child. A fever hints at a serious infection.
• You frequently develop otitis media; repeated bouts can lead to hearing loss or more serious infections.
• You have hearing problems; the infection may be affecting hearing ability.
• You feel nauseous or have bouts of diarrhoea with the earache.
• You have nasal congestion.
• You are dizzy or imbalanced.
• Your eardrum turns yellow or red and bulges.