The child's ear is not red, swollen, or feverish, but it hurts—what are the possible causes?
Disease description:
The child's ear is neither red nor swollen, and there is no fever, but he or she constantly complains of ear pain. When the pain occurs, the child also becomes fussy and cries. I would like to know what exactly is causing the child's discomfort.
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Lu Cheng
The child's ear may not be red, swollen, or feverish, but the presence of pain could be caused by otitis media. Otitis media is an infection inside the middle ear, which may be triggered by dysfunction of the Eustachian tube, allowing bacteria or viruses to enter the tympanic cavity. In the initial stage, it may not be accompanied by obvious redness, swelling, or fever, but it can cause ear pain.
In addition, the discomfort could be due to a foreign body or earwax blockage within the ear canal. Furthermore, ear pain may also be related to conditions affecting the nasopharynx, such as sinusitis or adenoid hypertrophy, which can impact the Eustachian tube and subsequently cause ear pain.
External otitis is caused by infection of the external auditory canal skin by pathogens or trauma. This inflammation may not present with redness or swelling, but it can cause ear discomfort and pain. When there is excessive or overly hard earwax (cerumen) inside the ear, it may irritate the walls of the external auditory canal, causing pain. When lesions occur in the nerves around the ear, the nerve pain may radiate to the ear, resulting in ear pain.
When children experience ear pain, parents should watch for symptoms such as hearing loss or ear discharge, and seek timely medical attention for diagnosis and treatment by a qualified physician.
