Why does the ear sometimes itch?
In "No Appointment", doctor Jimmy Mohamed explains that it may be due to eczema inside the ear.
Left untreated, it can even lead to otitis externa, called swimmer's ear.
Every day, doctor Jimmy Mohamed answers questions from listeners from Europe 1. This Wednesday in "Without an appointment", he answers the question of Estelle, 35 years old. She wonders if the regular itching
inside her
ear could be due to eczema.
According to the doctor, it is possible and it can even lead to an ear infection.
Can we have eczema in the ear?
"Eczema of the ear canal is possible. It is more common in people who have eczema, psoriasis or skin diseases but can also occur in people without any pathology. When this eczema is not treated , it itches. We will use cotton swabs and this can progress to otitis: swimmer's otitis, linked to inflammation of the ear canal. "
What is the difference with a classic ear infection?
“At the very beginning it itches, you have secretions that will accumulate and form a plug. When you go to the swimming pool, water can stagnate between the eardrum and the earwax plug. But whatever stagnates in the human body gets infected and you are going to have swimmer's ear, external.
>> Find all of Sans rendez-vous in replay and podcast here
It is up to the doctor to make the diagnosis between a real ear infection and an otitis externa.
Often times, when you touch your ear it is more painful, it means that it is the duct and not the eardrum.
When it is inflammatory, we have other symptoms: we have a cold, we cough, we have a fever, a kind of nasopharyngitis.
"