Reminder: often itching in the ear, or the performance of these 4 diseases, go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible
Patients often ask: Why do I often dig my ears with cotton swabs, and the inside of the ear holes are clean, but I still feel itchy and unbearable?
In fact, itching is a frequent symptom of the ear, which is related to the structural characteristics of the ear itself: the external auditory canal is like a long "S"-shaped curved tube, the outer 1/3 of the tube is mainly cartilage, and the inner 2/3 3 It is mainly composed of "hard bones", and the ear canal is rich in nerve distribution, such as the mandibular nerve, the vagus nerve, the facial nerve, etc., which also constitutes the structural basis for our ear canal to be sensitive and easy to itch.
Many studies have shown that ear itching is mostly related to the long-term use of hard objects such as ear picks. People's ears will inevitably be exposed in daily life, and the long-term accumulation of dust in the ear will form cerumen (earwax), and too much ear cerumen in the external auditory canal can also cause patients to experience ear itching. .
The doctor reminded that in addition to the habit of picking ears, these 4 diseases can also cause ear itching, so if you continue to have ear itching symptoms, it is best to go to the hospital for examination!
The doctor reminds: often itching in the ear, or warning signs of these 4 diseases
1. Fungal otitis externa
Fungal otitis externa is a fungal infection of the skin of the external ear canal, mainly caused by Aspergillus, Candida and Penicillium infections.
The main cause of this type of infection is the warm conditions in the ear. Once the humidity is high and the water is high, the stratum corneum of the skin at the bottom of the ear canal will swell, and the moisture immersion will lead to the destruction of the protective barrier of the ear skin and create conditions for the reproduction of fungi; Improper ear plucking, ear washing and other habits, especially after swimming, bathing, and washing your hair, the skin of the ear canal becomes warm and moist, which will lead to cross-infection and destruction of the cerumen glands in the external auditory canal, thereby losing the normal cerumen glands to the fungus. The inhibitory effect of tinea pedis, thereby providing a good breeding environment for the fungus, will cause itching similar to tinea pedis.
2. Bacterial otitis externa
Bacterial otitis externa is a bacterial infection of the skin of the external ear canal. Bacterial infection of the external auditory canal can also cause ear itching, but it is mostly characterized by severe pain and mild itching. The key point of protection is not to repeatedly scratch the ear in an incorrect way, such as destroying the skin of the ear canal with instruments or nails, so as to remove bacteria. It is brought into the deep subcutaneous tissue, the infection is aggravated, and the defense function of the skin in the ear is destroyed
3. External auditory canal eczema
The skin around the external auditory canal is a small spot-like rash that is unbearably itchy, scattered or clustered together, and can also be manifested as papules, blisters, yellow crusts, erosions, etc. Repeated itching, once scratched, it will repeat running water and knots. Scab, acute to chronic and recurrent disease.
4. Mite infestation
The presence of mites is a real headache! Air conditioners, curtains, quilts, pillow covers, towels, clothing, small mites are invisible to the naked eye. They are tiny arthropods that can also unknowingly enter our ear piercings, causing them to itch suddenly.
Small mites are indeed a big trouble, because they cause your ears to be abnormally itchy. At this time, you can't bear it any longer. You have to dig it out, but you can't dig out anything, and you can't even find out the reason. , then you should go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible.
Epilogue
Finally, I would like to remind you that you should pay more attention to the cleaning and maintenance of your ears in daily life, but you must get rid of the habit of picking your ears frequently, because frequent ear picking will not only destroy the self-purification barrier function of the external auditory canal, but also stimulate the cerumen glands in the external auditory canal. Let it secrete more vigorously and produce earwax faster, creating a "vicious circle"!
It is also worth noting that once the ear is inflamed, do not scratch it with your hands or with a hard object, so as to avoid secondary damage to the ear, which will affect the treatment. At the same time, when the ear is often itchy, be sure to go to the hospital for examination and treatment in time to rule out the possibility of the above diseases.
references:
[1] Zhu Zhenhua. Itchy ears, scratching without authorization is risky [J]. Chinese Medicine Health, 2020,6(03):49-50.
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