Ear pain (earache)
Pain in or around the ear, very common especially in children. Most often it is a middle- or outer-ear infection and settles with simple care, but it can also be 'referred' pain from the throat, teeth or jaw, and a few features signal a need for prompt review.
What it means
Earache is pain felt in or around the ear. It has two broad sources. The first is a problem in the ear itself: a middle-ear infection (otitis media), especially common in young children and often after a cold, with pain, fever and sometimes reduced hearing or discharge if the eardrum bursts; an outer-ear canal infection (otitis externa, 'swimmer's ear'), with pain worse on touching the ear and often itch and discharge; earwax blockage; a change in pressure (as on a flight); or, rarely, a foreign body. The second source is 'referred' pain — the ear shares nerves with the throat, teeth and jaw, so a sore throat and tonsillitis, dental problems, or jaw-joint (TMJ) issues can all be felt as earache with a normal ear. Most earache is short-lived and benign, but certain features — high fever, swelling behind the ear, severe pain, discharge, or hearing loss — call for medical review.
Common causes
- Middle-ear infection (otitis media) — very common in children, often after a cold.
- Outer-ear infection (otitis externa) — 'swimmer's ear'; pain on touching the ear, itch, discharge.
- Earwax blockage — a common, benign cause.
- Pressure changes — flying, diving.
- Referred pain — from a sore throat/tonsillitis, dental problems, or the jaw joint (TMJ).
- Rarely — a foreign body (especially in children), or, in adults with risk factors, more serious causes needing assessment.
Lab work-up approach
Earache is diagnosed by examining the ear (and throat, teeth and jaw), not by blood tests. Most cases need no tests at all. Blood tests such as a full blood count and CRP play only a supporting role when there are signs of a more significant or spreading infection, or when the cause is a throat infection like glandular fever. A swab of ear discharge is sometimes taken for a persistent outer-ear infection. Mediora.AI can surface a raised white-cell or CRP pattern that fits a significant infection, but the assessment of earache is clinical — the key step is having the ear looked at by a doctor when needed.
Tests Mediora.AI can interpret
Related conditions
Panels to consider
When to see a doctor
Most earache in an otherwise well person, especially adults, can be managed with simple pain relief and settles within a few days. See a doctor if earache is severe, lasts more than a few days, comes with a high fever, discharge from the ear, hearing loss, or dizziness, or in a young child who is very unwell or in a baby. Seek urgent care for redness, swelling or tenderness of the bone behind the ear, severe headache, facial weakness, or a very unwell child, as these can indicate a spreading infection. Recurrent or persistent one-sided earache in an adult, especially with throat symptoms or in a smoker, should be assessed. Mediora.AI helps flag an infection pattern in the blood when relevant; the ear itself needs to be examined by your doctor.