The appearance of even a small amount of blood in the ear during brushing is an alarming sign. In this situation, doctors recommend contacting a medical institution. This is due to the fact that blood in the ear during cleaning can indicate the development of a pathology in the body that poses a threat to health. Only an otorhinolaryngologist can find out the cause of the outflow of fluid connective tissue. It is worth noting that most often blood on a cotton swab appears as a result of improper cleaning. The main causes of the pathological condition are described below, as well as the features of its diagnosis and treatment.
Violation of the integrity of soft tissues
If there is blood in the ears when cleaning, the cause may be injury to the skin. As practice shows, most people do not conduct hygienic measures, causing harm to health.
It is important to know that blood may appear in the ear before cleansing. In other words, a violation of the integrity of soft tissues sometimes occurs even before the implementation of hygiene measures. That is why it is necessary to consult an ENT doctor who will conduct differential diagnostics.
Causes of violation of the integrity of the skin in the ear:
- Blows.
- Immersion in water at great depths.
- Ingestion in the ear.
Sometimes bleeding is not associated with damage to the organ of hearing. In rare cases, the outflow of fluid connective tissue occurs after a traumatic brain injury. This condition poses a threat to life, the patient is shown emergency hospitalization.
In a child, blood from the ear after cleaning most often indicates damage to the soft tissues with a cotton swab. In addition, children often try to scratch themselves inside the body with a toy or some sharp object.
Perforation of the ear membrane
Damage to the eardrum is a serious pathological condition that can have both traumatic and infectious nature. In the first case, blood appears in the ear when cleaning, when the membrane is injured by a cotton swab. In addition, perforation of the membrane is often the result of improperly performed medical procedures.
Other causes of pathology:
- A sharp increase in external pressure. A similar situation sometimes occurs during air travel (in particular, during take-off and landing).
- The impact of vibroacoustics. At risk are people who like to listen to loud music, especially with headphones.
- Damage to the base of the skull or temporal bone.
- Otorhinolaryngological diseases.
If you bleed while cleaning your ear, you need to listen to your body. The following symptoms indicate perforation of the eardrum:
- Hearing impairment.
- Noise in ears.
- Severe painful sensations of an acute nature.
- A feeling of stuffiness in the ears.
- Frequent episodes of dizziness.
If there is blood from the ear after cleansing and at least one of the above symptoms is observed, you should contact a medical institution as soon as possible. This is due to the fact that untimely treatment leads to complete hearing loss.
Damage to a benign neoplasm
Blood in the ear when cleaning with a cotton swab can be a consequence of a violation of the integrity of the tissues that make up the tumor, which is localized in the organ. As a rule, the outflow of liquid connective tissue occurs when a neoplasm of a benign nature is damaged.
Most often, both adults and children are diagnosed with a glomus tumor. This is a neoplasm that begins to form in a vein. With its increase in size, the following symptoms appear:
- Noise in ears.
- Frequent episodes of dizziness.
- There is quite a lot of blood in the ear during and after cleaning. She continues to ooze for some more time.
Another cause of bleeding during and after cleaning is polyps. These are benign neoplasms that can be easily detected during an otorhinolaryngological examination. As polyps increase in size, tinnitus, migraine, and dizziness appear.
Otitis
This term refers to an inflammatory process affecting the middle ear. Its main symptoms are pain and hearing impairment. Isolation of blood during cleaning against the background of inflammation occurs quite often. Even a small amount of liquid connective tissue on a cotton swab is a reason for immediately contacting a medical institution.
If the cause is otitis media, not only blood can be seen on a cotton swab. As a rule, liquid connective tissue contains impurities of purulent exudate. In this case, a person feels severe pain and his body temperature rises.
If, after cleaning with a cotton swab, the blood from the ear on the product is bright red and does not contain pus impurities, this is an alarming sign. This may indicate that the exudate has transferred to other tissues. If it enters the brain, the risk of developing meningitis is significantly increased.
Diagnostics
If blood appears in the ear when cleaning with a cotton swab, you need to contact an otorhinolaryngologist. The doctor will collect an anamnesis, as well as conduct diagnostic measures, including palpation and otoscopy.
Already during the initial intake, a specialist will be able to detect damage to the auditory canal and assess their severity, as well as determine the localization of foci of inflammation and find out the cause of the appearance of blood in the ear when cleaning with a cotton swab.
Treatment
The treatment regimen depends on the underlying disease or condition. In order to stop the symptoms and prevent the development of infectious complications, the following pharmacological groups are prescribed:
- Antibiotics. These agents prevent the propagation of pathogens in damaged tissues. Examples of drugs: Spiramycin, Amoxicillin.
- Vasoconstrictor drugs. Contribute to the elimination of puffiness. As a rule, doctors prescribe Sanorin and Tizin.
- Mucolytics. These drugs accelerate the process of removing purulent exudate from the ear canal. Examples of funds: “ACC”, “Fluimucil”.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs. For example, Otinum.
All medications are prescribed by a doctor individually.
First aid
If bleeding has gone after cleaning the ear, it is necessary to twist the turunda from a sterile gauze cloth and introduce it into the damaged canal. You can fix it with a bandage. If a person is concerned about severe pain, it is allowed to give him "Diclofenac" or "Paracetamol".
After carrying out these manipulations, it is recommended to call an ambulance team.
What can not be done:
- Pour disinfectants into your ear. If there are perforations, fluid will enter the drum cavity. This, in turn, will cause the development of aseptic inflammation.
- Rinse the ear, clean it from spotting. This can cause infection of the organ with pathogenic microorganisms.
In addition, before the arrival of physicians, it is important to ensure that the patient does not throw his head back. Otherwise, blood can penetrate the middle ear, which is fraught with adverse consequences.
Proper hygiene measures
The human body is a perfect system that works smoothly. It is important to know that earwax is a substance that protects the hearing organs not only from dirt and dust, but also from pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, it has moisturizing properties. Lack of sulfur or its absence lead to the development of various complications, including otitis.
That is why doctors do not recommend cleaning your ears often. Moreover, the use of cotton buds is strictly prohibited. These products can easily damage the skin and eardrum. In addition, sulfur is produced only in the outer third of the organ. Cotton buds push it deeper, which also leads to the development of the inflammatory process.
How to clean your ears:
- Take a small piece of gauze.
- Twist it into turunda.
- Moisten the resulting product in water, low concentrated hydrogen peroxide or any vegetable oil.
- Slowly screw in movements to introduce turunda shallow into the ear canal.
- Remove the product. Wipe the auricle with a cotton pad soaked in water. You can also use diluted hydrogen peroxide.
Otorhinolaryngologists do not recommend brushing your ears more than 2 times a month.
Finally
Even a small amount of blood on a cotton swab is an alarming symptom, which is the reason for going to the doctor. Most often, while cleaning the ears, the skin and the eardrum are damaged. But often bleeding also indicates pathologies that pose a serious threat to health. These include: otitis media, neoplasms, traumatic brain injuries. Treatment of the disease directly depends on the cause of the outflow of fluid connective tissue. As part of first aid, it is necessary to twist a turunda from a piece of gauze, insert it into the ear and fix it with a bandage. After that, you need to call the ambulance crew.