Ears give us healthy and perfect hearing, but they are also fragile and vulnerable. Ears are sensitive to the external environment, among which otitis externa is inflammation caused by bacterial infection. So what is the cause of otitis externa? Expert analysis of Kunming Otolaryngology Hospital: Otitis externa refers to the external auditory canal, hearing and hearing sensation of heat, pain and sadness, and severe cases are accompanied by fever, discomfort and swelling around the ears. Examination shows that the external auditory canal is congested and swollen, and in severe cases, the external auditory canal is spasmodic and the skin is rotten. So what is the cause of otitis externa? Otitis externa can be divided into two categories: one is extensive otitis externa, also known as external auditory canal furuncle; The other is complete inflammation of the external auditory canal skin, also known as complete otitis externa. The causes of total otitis externa are: digging ears, water entering the external auditory canal when swimming, and the stimulation of suppurative otitis media with persistent pus. It is easy to get sick when the external auditory canal skin is injured or the local resistance is low, and it is easy for diabetics and allergic people to have recurrent attacks. Common pathogens are Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus. Many people know about otitis externa, but they don't know about it. If you don't know its symptoms, how can you treat it in time? Then let's take a look at the symptoms of otitis externa summarized by experts from Kunming Otolaryngology Hospital. One of the symptoms of otitis externa: burning, itching, pain, diffuse congestion, swelling and epidermal erosion of the external auditory canal. At first, serous secretion will flow out, and later it will become serous or purulent secretion. Skin swelling covers the eardrum, leading to conductive deafness and tinnitus. In severe cases, the lymph nodes around the ears are swollen, and there will be reactions such as fever and discomfort. The second symptom of otitis externa: acute otitis externa becomes chronic, mainly manifested as ear discomfort and itching, often accompanied by a small amount of secretions, slightly decreased hearing, hyperemia or thickening of the external auditory canal skin, or scabbed skin loves a small amount of pus or debris. Sometimes peeling off the scab skin can cause bleeding, the eardrum becomes turbid and thickened, or a small amount of granulation is formed on the surface of the eardrum because of its epithelial damage. The third symptom of otitis externa: new organisms appear in the external auditory canal, such as tumors, which are divided into benign and malignant. In addition, chronic suppurative otitis media can lead to the growth of tympanic polyps, and the polyps emerge from the perforation of tympanic membrane, forming external auditory canal vegetation. The fourth symptom of otitis externa: excluding congenital factors leads to external auditory canal stenosis, diffuse otitis externa, chronic eczema of external ear, and also leads to thickening of external auditory canal skin, which makes the external auditory canal narrower and narrower, often affecting hearing. The fifth symptom of otitis externa: one of the common lesions is furuncle of external auditory canal, which is often manifested as local redness, obvious pain, protrusions such as pepper eyes or pus spots on the top; The second common disease is diffuse otitis externa, which is characterized by diffuse redness, ulceration and more yellow and white secretions. The sixth symptom of otitis externa: the skin of the cartilage of the external auditory canal has a cerumen gland similar to sweat gland structure, which can secrete cerumen, which is often called earwax or earwax, and has the function of protecting the skin of the external auditory canal and adhering foreign bodies. Under normal circumstances, it can be discharged from the ear by chewing, opening your mouth and other sports. However, otitis externa can cause excessive cerumen secretion or blocked discharge, and gradually pile up into a group, forming cerumen embolism, blocking the external auditory canal, leading to hearing loss and possible earache; If the eardrum is stimulated too deeply, tinnitus and dizziness may occur. During the examination, there were black or brown cerumen blocks in the external auditory canal, which were as soft as wax and as hard as stone. The seventh symptom of otitis externa: Due to the middle ear lesion, pus flows out from the perforation of tympanic membrane and stays in the external auditory canal, and the pus will accumulate in the external auditory canal, showing a sticky shape. The eighth symptom of otitis externa: foreign bodies appear in the external auditory canal, which are common in children and can also appear in adults. Most of them are caused by ear digging or trauma or insect invasion. Foreign bodies can be divided into abiotic, plant and animal. If the foreign body is small without irritation, it can exist for a long time without symptoms. Larger foreign bodies can block the ear canal, leading to hearing loss and bloating. Sometimes it can cause dizziness, tinnitus, earache, or skin damage. In general, it is easier to find foreign bodies through inspection. Experts remind that some symptoms of otitis externa are invisible to the naked eye. If you feel different, please go to the hospital in time. Acute otitis externa can occur at any age, such as ear-digging or foreign body injury, drug stimulation, suppurative otitis media pus or swimming, bathing and other water immersion. Other diseases such as chronic suppurative otitis media, anemia, vitamin deficiency and diabetes can also lead to this disease.