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Swimmer's ear - chronic - Symptom

Alternative Names

Ear infection - outer ear - chronic; Otitis externa - chronic

Symptoms:

Ear pain -- may get worse if you pull on the outside of the ear
Hearing loss
Itching of the ear or ear canal
Persistent drainage from the ear -- yellow, yellow-green, pus, or foul smelling

Signs and tests:

During the examination, the health care provider may find:

The ear and ear canal look red and swollen
The ear canal may have scaly shedding of skin
Touching or moving the outer ear increases the pain
It may be difficult for the health care provider to see the eardrum with an instrument called an otoscope
The eardrum may look red
The outermost part of the ear (the tragus) may be infected, and look red and swollen

Ear anatomy

Medical findings based on ear anatomy

Reviewed last on: 10/15/2008
Daniel Levy, MD, PhD, Infectious Diseases, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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