This is a fungal infection of the skin that covers the external auditory canal. This infection may be a primary infection, or occur on top of a bacterial otitis after the use of antibiotics.
Risk factors are: excessive cleaning of ear wax, habit of inserting materials into the ear, use of earplugs and/or headphones and temperate and moist climates.
With this condition, there is pain, discharge, itching in the ears, sensation of having something in the canal.
Diagnosis is clinical through clinical questioning and physical examination using an otoscope. The secretion collected from the ear canal may also be tested.
Treatment includes local heat and regular pain killers to decrease pain, and antifungal drops to treat the infection. Risk factors should be corrected if known, to avoid relapses.
- Laura A Goguen. External otitis: Pathogenesis, clinical features, and diagnosis. UpToDate, Septiembre 2014
- Laura A Goguen. External otitis: Treatment. UpToDate, Septiembre 2015
- Rosenfeld RM. Clinical practice guideline: acute otitis externa. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2014; 150:S1.
- Kim JK. Change of external auditory canal pH in acute otitis externa. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2009; 118:769.
- Michael A. Rubin.Faringitis, otalgia y síntomas de la porción superior de las vías respiratorias. Harrison. Principios de Medicina Interna, 19e. Capítulo 44.
