Blood from the ears

Bleeding from the ear (otorrhagia) is a symptom that signals damage to blood vessels in the tissues of the hearing organ. The appearance of a pathological symptom may be associated with barotrauma, infections and hyperplastic processes occurring in the outer and middle ear. Ignoring the problem in 35% of cases is the cause of severe complications that provoke hearing impairment and impaired coordination of movements.

Otorrhagia can occur with the development of pathologies that are not directly related to the auditory analyzer. The principles of treatment are determined by concomitant symptoms, the degree of tissue damage and associated complications. When an alarming symptom appears, experts recommend not delaying a visit to an otolaryngologist.

Causes

If a patient is bleeding from the ear, what does this mean? The causes of ear bleeding can be divided into two groups:

post-traumatic - the occurrence of bloody discharge in the ear canal as a result of mechanical tissue damage (barotrauma, craniocerebral trauma);
spontaneous - ear bleeding, provoked by the development of infections, cancer and chronic inflammation.

What if bleeding from the ear? First of all, it is necessary to find out the cause of the pathological symptom. To do this, it is necessary to undergo an examination by an otolaryngologist, who will be able to determine the type of pathology and the optimal course of treatment for sure.

Important! If bloody discharge occurs in the ear canal, it is undesirable to perform self-rinsing. This can lead to further tissue irritation and infection of the hearing organ.

Mechanical damage

In about 30% of cases, blood from the ear appears as a result of a violation of the integrity of tissues, which is due to their mechanical injury. If minor damage occurs, regression of pathological processes is observed immediately after stopping bleeding. However, in the event of serious injury, the bleeding may be profuse.

The main causes of post-traumatic ear bleeding include:

barotrauma - physical damage to the tissues of the hearing organ, provoked by an increase in the pressure difference in the internal ear cavities and the external environment;
traumatic brain injury - contact damage to the bone and soft tissues of the skull, leading to rupture of large vessels;
rupture of the ear membrane - violation of the integrity of the elastic membrane, leading to damage to the mesh of small capillaries, which leads to the appearance of minor hemorrhages;
contusion of the labyrinth - severe contusion in the temporal region, accompanied by otrhagia, dizziness, nausea, spatial disorientation, etc.

Ears often bleed if hygiene rules are not followed. Cleansing the ear canal with cotton swabs and sharp objects leads to a violation of the integrity of the skin. Subsequently, minor bleeding occurs in the outer ear.

Infections

Infectious and inflammatory processes in the mucous membranes of the organ of hearing contribute to the destruction of soft tissues and damage to blood vessels. Blood and pus from the ear indicate the development of pathogenic flora in the foci of inflammation. When ear pathologies occur, accompanying symptoms often appear, such as hyperemia, itching, tissue edema, pain, etc. Untimely suppression of the activity of pathogens can cause brain abscess, labyrinthitis or sepsis.

If the patient has a sore ear for a long time, and then bleeds, this may signal the development of such pathologies:

purulent otitis media - acute inflammation in the mucous membrane of the middle ear, characterized by purulent-bloody discharge at the perforated stage of the disease;
myringitis - an infectious inflammation of the ear membrane with the subsequent formation of hemorrhagic vesicles, upon opening which the ear bleeds;
ear candidiasis - opportunistic mycosis, the development of which leads to damage to the skin and mucous membranes in the ear;
limited external otitis media - the formation of boils in the membranous-cartilaginous part of the auditory canal, the opening of which leads to the evacuation of purulent and bloody discharge from the ear.

Important! Otorrhagia is not always accompanied by pain, but the absence of pain does not mean that the pathological processes are not serious.

Neoplasms

The proliferation of benign and malignant tumors leads to damage to the blood vessels, as a result of which blood flows from the ear. When stopping hyperplastic processes in the organ of hearing, the patient's condition is monitored not only by the ENT doctor, but also by the oncologist. Common neoplasms include:

squamous cell carcinoma is a malignant tumor that occurs as a result of uncontrolled division of epithelial cells. Due to the pressure of the neoplasm on the blood vessels, blood is often drawn from the ear;
polyps - one of the complications of sluggish purulent inflammation in the ear cavity, characterized by the formation of growths on the surface of the mucous epithelium;
glomus tumor - a vascular tumor that is localized in the middle ear cavity. The rupture of the neoplasm leads to hearing loss, pulsating pain and profuse hemorrhage.

Blood from the ears often occurs as a result of untimely treatment of inflammatory processes in the tissues. Morphological changes in the mucous membranes lead to disruption of cellular mitosis and proliferation of epithelial cells. Subsequently, benign tumors appear in the foci of inflammation, the growth of which inevitably leads to damage to the blood vessels.

Pharmacotherapy

If blood appears in the ears, you need to be examined by an otolaryngologist. Only after an accurate diagnosis can be selected the optimal course of treatment of pathology. In most cases, the following groups of drugs are used to relieve the symptom:

antimycotics ("Clotrimazole", "Candibiotic") - inhibit the development of mold and yeast-like fungi that provoke the development of ear candidiasis;
antiseptic solutions ("Chlorhexidine", "Miramistin") - prevent the occurrence of pathogenic flora with mechanical damage to tissues in the ear canal;
systemic antibiotics ("Ceftriaxone", "Amoxicillin") - prevent the spread of bacterial flora in the foci of inflammation; used to treat purulent otitis media, furunculosis, etc.;
anti-inflammatory drugs ("Ibuprofen", "Nise") - contribute to the regression of inflammatory reactions and reduce swelling in damaged tissues.

Important! It is undesirable to use drugs of systemic action without the recommendation of a specialist. Some of them contribute to changes in the chemical composition of the blood, as a result of which its coagulability is impaired.

In cases where blood in the ear appears due to the development of tumors, surgical treatment may be required. To remove neoplasms, the following can be used: