Ear discharge (otorrhea) is drainage from the ear. The drainage may be watery, bloody, or thick and whitish, like pus (purulent). Depending on the cause of the discharge, people may also have ear pain, fever, itching, vertigo, ringing in the ear (tinnitus), and/or hearing loss. Symptoms range from sudden and severe to slowly developing and mild.
Causes of Ear Discharge
Discharge may originate from the ear canal, the middle ear, or, rarely, from inside the skull.
Overall, the most common causes of ear discharge are
Acute (sudden and severe) middle ear infection (otitis media) with perforation (puncture) of the eardrum
Chronic otitis media (with perforation of the eardrum, cholesteatoma, or both)
External ear infection (otitis externa)
In some people with otitis media (usually children), the eardrum ruptures, releasing the infected material collected behind the eardrum. The hole in the eardrum almost always heals, but sometimes a small perforation remains. A perforation may also result from injury or surgery to the eardrum. When a perforation is present, people are at risk of chronic middle ear infections, which can cause ear discharge.
Serious, but rare, causes of ear discharge include
Cholesteatoma (a noncancerous growth of white skinlike material in the middle ear)
The ear canal passes through the base of the skull. If a skull fracture (from a severe head injury) involves that part of the skull, blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid may leak from the ear.
Necrotizing, or malignant, external otitis is a particularly severe form of external ear infection that typically occurs only in people with diabetes or those who have a compromised immune system (due to, for example, HIV infection or chemotherapy for cancer) .
Some people with chronic otitis media develop a noncancerous (benign) growth of skin cells in the middle ear (cholesteatoma) that can cause discharge. Although a cholesteatoma is noncancerous, it can cause significant damage to the ear and nearby structures. In severe cases, a cholesteatoma may lead to deafness, facial weakness or paralysis, and complications with the brain such as an abscess and other infections.
Evaluation of Ear Discharge
The following information can help people with ear discharge decide when a doctor's evaluation is needed and help them know what to expect during the evaluation.
Warning signs
In people with ear discharge, certain symptoms and characteristics are cause for concern:
Recent major head injury
Any neurologic symptoms (such as vertigo or difficulty seeing, speaking, swallowing, and/or talking)
Hearing loss in the affected ear
Fever
Redness and/or swelling of the ear or area around the ear
Diabetes or a compromised immune system
When to see a doctor
People with warning signs should see a doctor right away. People without warning signs should see a doctor as soon as possible and avoid getting water in the ear until it can be evaluated.
What the doctor does
In people with ear discharge, doctors first ask questions about the person's symptoms and medical history. Doctors then do a physical examination. What they find during the history and physical examination often suggests a cause of the ear discharge and the tests that may need to be done (see table Some Causes and Features of Ear Discharge).
During the medical history, doctors ask about the following:
Activities that can affect the ear canal or eardrum (for example, swimming; insertion of objects, including cotton swabs; and use of ear drops)
Whether people have had repeated ear infections
Any severe head injury
During the physical examination, doctors focus on examining the ears, nose, throat, and neurologic system. By examining the ear canal with a light, doctors can usually diagnose perforated eardrum, external otitis, foreign object, and other common causes of ear discharge. Other findings suggest the diagnosis.
Some Causes and Features of Ear Discharge
Cause | Common Features* | Diagnostic Approach |
|---|---|---|
Acute discharge (lasting less than 6 weeks) | ||
Severe ear pain significantly relieved when a thick, whitish discharge starts | Doctor’s examination alone | |
Chronic otitis media (acute flare up) | History of eardrum perforation and/or cholesteatoma (a noncancerous growth of skin cells in the middle ear), and previous discharge Eardrum appears abnormal during doctor's examination | Sometimes doctor’s examination alone Sometimes high-resolution temporal bone CT |
Cerebrospinal fluid leak caused by severe head injury or recent neurosurgery | Obvious recent head injury or neurosurgery Fluid ranges from crystal clear to blood | Imaging studies such as head CT scan including skull base or MRI with gadolinium |
Otitis externa (infectious or allergic) | Infectious: Often after swimming or injury; severe pain, worse with pulling on ear Allergic: Often after use of ear drops; more itching and redness, and less pain than with infectious cause Typically a rash on the earlobe, where discharge trickled out of ear canal Both: Ear canal very red, swollen, and filled with debris; eardrum appears normal | Doctor’s examination alone |
Chronic discharge (lasting more than 6 weeks) | ||
Discharge often bloody, mild pain Sometimes doctor can see a growth in ear canal Typically in older people | Removal and examination (biopsy) of ear tissue Usually CT scan or MRI | |
History of ear infections and typically eardrum perforation and/or cholesteatoma Less pain than with external otitis Eardrum appears abnormal during doctor's examination | Sometimes doctor’s examination alone Usually culture of a sample of the ear discharge If suspected cholesteatoma, MRI | |
Usually in children Drainage foul-smelling, pus-filled (purulent) Foreign object often visible during examination unless visibility blocked by swelling and/or discharge | Doctor’s examination alone | |
Often fever, history of untreated or unresolved otitis media Redness, tenderness over mastoid | Usually a doctor’s examination alone Sometimes CT scan | |
Usually people have an immune deficiency or diabetes Chronic severe pain Swelling and tenderness around ear, abnormal tissue in ear canal Sometimes weakness of facial muscles on affected side | CT scan or MRI Usually culture | |
* Features include symptoms and the results of the doctor's examination. Features mentioned are typical but not always present. | ||
CT = computed tomography; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging. | ||
Testing
Many causes of ear discharge are clear after the doctor's examination. Possible tests include
Audiogram
CT scan or MRI
If the cause is not clear, doctors usually do a formal hearing test (audiogram) and computed tomography (CT) scan or gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). If abnormal tissue is present in the ear canal, a tissue sample (biopsy) may be taken. Sometimes culture swabs are taken of the drainage to identify infection.
Treatment of Ear Discharge
Treatment for ear discharge is directed at the cause. Some infections are treated with antibiotics given by mouth. Sometimes a piece of gauze (called a wick) is placed to allow antibiotics to get into a very swollen ear canal (for example, people with severe otitis externa).
People who have a large perforation of the eardrum are advised to keep water out of the ear. People can keep water out of the ear while showering or washing their hair by coating a cotton ball with petroleum jelly and placing it at the opening of the ear canal. Doctors can also make plugs out of silicone and place them in the canal. Such plugs are carefully sized and shaped so that they do not get lodged deep in the ear canal and cannot be removed.
People who have a small perforation, such as that caused by a ventilation tube, should ask a doctor whether they need to keep water out of the ear.
A cholesteatoma is treated surgically.
Key Points
Acute discharge in people without longstanding ear problems or a weakened immune system is usually not dangerous and is typically due to an external ear infection or a perforated eardrum resulting from a middle ear infection.
People who have chronic ear symptoms or any symptoms besides ear discharge (particularly any neurologic symptoms) should be evaluated by a specialist.
