What is Otorrhagia?

Otorrhagia, also known as ear haemorrhage is medically defined as the bleeding from the external acoustic meatus. It is commonly seen in petrous temporal bone fractures and soft tissue injuries to the external or middle ears. Rarely, an aneurysm in the internal carotid artery can rupture inside the middle ear and cause spontaneous life threatening otorrhagia.

Unless a person is sure that the bleeding happening from the ear is because of some shallow cut or small injury, he should immediately run to the doctor for more investigations to know the cause of the bleeding and seek immediate medical help.

Homeopathy can treat the underlying reason for otorrhagia, until it’s an emergency condition, like in the case of bursting of any aneurysm inside the arteries. Best homeopathy doctor will carefully examine the ears and provide treatment accordingly.

Causes

Some of the common reasons that can cause ottorhagia are-

  • Surface lesions in the skin- This is the most common reason for ottorhagia, in which a small superficial wound in the external ear causes bleeding. This type of bleeding usually do not present with any other symptom, except slight pain around the area of wound. Small wound can even happen while using earbuds aggressively.
  • Head injury or trauma- A blow on the head or any accident causing head injury can result into haemorrhage from the ears.
  • Infection in the ear with or without rupture of the eardrum- Any acute or chronic infection can cause a small hole in the eardrum, which may sometimes exude blood with the pus.
  • Barotrauma- This happens due to the pressure changes inside the ears, like during flights or during diving.
  • Ear cancer- In cancerous condition of the ear, ottorhagia is a very common feature
  • Presence of an external object inside the auditory canal- Small children easily put candies, toys of beads inside their ears, without any complains. Such objects and sometimes small insects inside the ears may cause bleeding, infection and discomfort. The symptoms usually get resolved once the object is removed.
  • Bursting of an aneurysm in internal carotid artery- This is an emergency situation and will need immediate medical intervention.

Signs and symptoms

There can be several reasons for causing ottorhagia, and the symptoms depend upon the cause for bleeding-

  • Injury and trauma to the eardrums may produce symptoms like
  • Pain and discomfort in the ear
  • Tinnitus
  • Hearing loss
  • Sensation of vertigo
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Infection in the ear may cause
  • Fever
  • Difficult in sleeping
  • Balance problems
  • Pressure and pain in the ears
  • Barotrauma produces symptoms like
  • Ear ache with sense of pressure in the ears
  • Dizziness
  • Ringing in the ears
  • Foreign bodies on the auditory canal may cause-
  • Hearing loss
  • Dizziness
  • Pain and pressure symptoms in the ear
  • Discharge of fluid from the ear
  • Cancer of the auditory canal
  • Headaches
  • Facial pains with numbness
  • Altered and blurred vision
  • Bleeding due to head trauma may be due to injury in and around brain, which is a medical emergency.

Complications

Bleeding from ears itself does not produce any serious complications, but the underlying reasons can cause them.

Complications in otorrhagia usually depend upon the underlying cause. Some common complications may include-

  • Permanent hearing loss
  • Permanent ringing in the ears
  • Changes in the perception of language
  • Cognitive difficulties
  • Frequent headaches and vertigo
  • Problems in balancing

Diagnosis

On visiting the doctor for otorrhagea, he will go for full medical history trying to investigate what might have lead to bleeding. Doctor will inspect ears with an otoscope and look for other findings in neck, head and throat.

If the cause for bleeding remains unclear, doctor may suggest for tests like x-rays and CT scans.

Homeopathic Treatment for Otorrhagia

Homeopathic treatment in cases of otorrhagea depend upon the underlying cause of the bleeding. The best homeopathy doctor will carefully go through the medical history of the patient to understand the cause of the bleeding. Infections and small traumas can be easily treated with homeopathy, but if it’s head injury or the bleeding is suspected due to rupturing of any aneurysm, immediate emergency treatment should be sought for.