Otitis externa

摘要

A 50 year old woman attends with a three day history of irritation, pain, and watery discharge of her right ear. She has just returned from holiday in Spain, where she admits to using her beach towel, artificial nails, and ear buds to try to alleviate itching in her ear.What you should cover:Points to consider when taking the history: Inflammation of the ear canal with or without infection-This is the definition of acute otitis externa. The history above is classic of this condition. If symptoms are recurrent or if they last longer than three months, the condition is classed as chronic otitis externa.1