Otorrhagia is an alarming symptom that signals damage to the blood capillaries in the hearing organ. The cause of bleeding can be ENT diseases, mechanical tissue damage and chronic inflammatory processes in the cavity of the middle and inner ear. Degenerative changes in tissues lead to the destruction of blood vessels, as a result of which hemorrhages occur.
Why is my ears bleeding? The occurrence of otorrhagia may indicate the development of serious pathologies. If bloody discharge appears in the external auditory canal, you should seek help from an otolaryngologist. Late treatment of diseases often leads to the development of conductive hearing loss, mastoiditis, soft tissue abscess, meningitis, etc.
Pathogenesis
What are the main causes of ear bleeding? The appearance of extravasates and ear bleeding can be caused by mechanical damage to the capillaries, prolonged catarrhal processes or the growth of tumors. The occurrence of otorrhagia requires prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
The danger of the phenomenon lies in the fact that bloody discharge can be evacuated not into the external auditory canal, but into the middle ear cavity. Subsequently, inflammatory processes occur in the mucous epithelium, the untimely relief of which leads to the destruction of soft and bone tissues. Degenerative changes in the structures of the auditory analyzer are the cause of the following complications:
- myringitis;
- labyrinthitis;
- purulent otitis media;
- brain abscess;
- mastoiditis;
- thrombophlebitis;
- functional hearing loss;
- dysfunction of the vestibular apparatus.
The occurrence of hemorrhage with impaired blood clotting leads to serious blood loss, a decrease in blood pressure and anemia.
Ear injuries
In most cases, the causes of the appearance of blood from the ear are mechanical damage. The severity of the consequences arising from injury depends on the location of the damage, the presence of lacerations and injuries in large vessels. In otolaryngologists, injuries of the auricle and the external auditory canal are often encountered, which occur when:
- damage to the skin with sharp objects;
- cleaning the ear canals with cotton swabs;
- thermal and chemical burns.
Untimely treatment of open wounds leads to the development of infection, which is fraught with the emergence of acute inflammatory processes.
Hemorrhage can be observed when receiving craniocerebral injuries and fractures of the spine in the cervical spine. Serious damage to bone and soft tissues entails hearing impairment, damage to the auditory ossicles, destruction of the ear labyrinth, impaired coordination of movements, etc.
Infectious diseases
Why is my ear bleeding? Infectious diseases are a common cause of bleeding in the outer ear. Inflammatory processes in the tissues lead to vascular damage and the occurrence of otrhagia. Catarrhal provocateurs can be:
- purulent otitis media - purulent-inflammatory processes in the mucous membrane of the ear cavity. At the stage of perforation of the tympanic membrane, purulent exudate with bloody impurities is evacuated into the ear canal;
- bullous otitis media is a viral ENT disease characterized by the formation of vesicles (bulls) in the auditory canal, filled with hemorrhagic exudate. Opening of the vesicles leads to minor hemorrhages in the outer ear;
- myringitis - inflammatory processes in the ear membrane, provoked by a bacterial, fungal or viral infection. With the formation of perforated holes in the membrane, the destruction of small blood capillaries occurs, which causes otrhagia;
- furunculosis is an infectious inflammation in the hair follicles, accompanied by the formation of abscesses in the ear canal. Opening of boils leads to the evacuation of purulent-hemorrhagic exudate from the outer ear;
- perichondritis - catarrhal processes in the perichondrium, resulting from mechanical injury to the auricle or the development of infection. Degenerative changes in the cartilage lead to deformation of the outer ear and tissue necrosis.
Important! Against the background of the course of infectious ENT diseases, the development of facial paresis is not excluded.
Barotrauma
Barotrauma is called functional damage to the internal parts of the organ of hearing, which occurs as a result of a sharp drop in pressure in the ear cavity and the environment. The change in atmospheric pressure entails the destruction of the ear membrane and internal parts of the auditory analyzer. Signs of barotrauma are:
- ear bleeding;
- sharp shooting pains;
- nausea;
- spatial disorientation.
Why is there blood from the ear in adults? The main reasons for the appearance of barotrauma include an increase in blood pressure, airplane flights, rapid diving after decompression, chronic inflammation in the nasopharynx, etc. If a barotrauma is suspected, the specialist performs audiometric examinations to determine the extent of damage to the ear membrane, auditory ossicles, and other components of the sound-conducting system in the inner ear.
Cholesteatoma
Cholesteatomas are encapsulated benign neoplasms in the middle ear cavity, which are composed of cholesterol crystals and keratinized epithelial cells. Tumors are often caused by chronic inflammation in the mucous membranes of the middle ear. Cholesteatomas are not true tumors, but their proliferation leads to the destruction of bone and soft tissues.
Important! In 90% of cases, the cause of the tumor is chronic suppurative otitis media.
With peripheral growth of tumors, the walls of large and small vessels are destroyed, as a result of which bleeding occurs. The danger of pathology lies in the fact that the encapsulated seals secrete a caustic secret that contributes to the destruction of bone structures. This is fraught with the occurrence of not only otorrhagia, but also mastoiditis.
Paraganglinoma
My ear is bleeding, why? In rare cases, hemorrhages in the ear are caused by the development of a glomus tumor (paraganglinoma), which is a nodular growth of paraganglia cells. The jugular glomus forms in the middle ear cavity and is localized in the so-called jugular vein, located at the base of the skull.
As a result of endovascular tumor growth, large vessels are affected, which can be fatal.
In the process of peripheral growth, the tumor creates pressure on nearby veins, which leads to damage to their walls and, accordingly, hemorrhage. In addition, tympanic paraganglinoma secretes a caustic enzyme that destructively affects the soft tissues in the tympanic cavity. Pathological changes in the mucous epithelium entail the occurrence of otorrhagia.
