Ear discharge (Otorrhoea)

Ear discharge can trigger a range of symptoms, depending on what’s causing it. The fluid might contain wax, blood, and pus. You might also notice pain, itching, or ringing in your ear. 

More serious symptoms can include:

• loss of hearing

• dizziness

• fever

• redness (erythema) of the skin around your ear

• cranial nerve dysfunction – it can cause difficulty swallowing, speaking, or seeing

• vertigo – feeling like the room is spinning

There are many reasons why you might have ear discharge, but the most common is an ear infection, which can include:

• a middle ear infection (otitis media) – when a build-up of fluid behind the eardrum can sometimes cause the eardrum to burst. This triggers severe pain and a thick yellow fluid to run out of the ear. It’s common in children, but it can happen at any age

• an outer ear infection (otitis externa or swimmer's ear) – when the skin inside your ear canal swells and gets infected. It causes discharge to build up in the ear canal and drain out of the ear

• mastoiditis – an infection of the bone behind your ear

• malignant otitis externa – an infection of your ear canal and part of the skull

Aside from ear infections, ear discharge can be caused by:

• damage to your eardrum – your eardrum can tear if you push an object, such as a cotton bud, in too deeply. It can also be damaged due to changes in pressure, such as on a plane, which can cause fluid to leak through the hole and out of your ear

• an object in the ear – it usually happens if a child puts something like a small toy or a stone in their ear, causing fluid containing blood or pus to leak from their ear

• eczema of the ear – it can cause clear liquid to leak from your ear

• cholesteatoma – an abnormal growth of cells in the middle ear, which can cause fluid with a bad smell to leak from your ear

• a serious head injury – when fluid from your brain, that’s clear or blood-stained, leaks out of your ear. This is a medical emergency

Ear discharge risk factors

You might be more likely to get ear discharge if you:

• have had a recent head or ear injury

• have diabetes, eczema or dermatitis

• are a regular swimmer

• are prone to ear infections

• have recently had a cold or the flu

• have a cleft palate

• have Down’s syndrome

• have a weakened immune system

If you have ear discharge or any other related symptoms, we recommend making an appointment with one of our consultants in our outpatient ENT centre. At a consultation, your specialist will ask about your symptoms, your medical history, and check inside your ear for signs of earwax build-up, a ruptured eardrum, and an ear infection.

In some cases, your consultant may perform a CT or MRI scan to check the middle and inner sections of your ear in more detail. They may also take a culture sample from your ear discharge to see if any bacteria or fungi grow from it. 

In other cases, you may need audiometry tests to check your hearing. Effective treatment will be based on the results of your tests.

Most causes of ear discharge are unavoidable, which means you can’t completely prevent the condition. But you might be able to reduce the risk of it by:

• wearing specialised earplugs when you’re swimming, if you keep getting swimmer’s ear

• not putting anything in your ears – this includes cotton buds, or any other objects, to clean inside your ears

• not flying and/or diving, if you have a blocked nose

• drying your ears after swimming or showering

• wearing a helmet when riding a bike or playing contact sports, to prevent injuries

Complications of ear discharge depend on the cause. Ear infections are the most common trigger for ear discharge, and if left untreated, they can spread to other areas of the body, causing complications such as:

• facial paralysis

• perforated eardrum

• partial or complete hearing loss

• inner ear infection (labyrinthitis)

• infection of tissues covering your brain (meningitis)

But this is rare and can be prevented with proper treatment.

Treatments for ear discharge vary depending on what’s causing the problem. They can include:

• medicines – antibiotics may be used in tablet or eardrop form, if an ear infection doesn’t go away, or you’ve had an injury to your eardrum

• removal of an object – if something is stuck in your ear, it can be removed with microsuction. A microscope may also be used to check the health of your ear at the same time

• surgery – to remove a cholesteatoma, or to close the hole created by a perforated eardrum

At Welbeck, our ENT specialists are experts in their field and are dedicated to providing world-class care to every patient.

With access to colleagues across other specialties, our consultants are also able to refer within the Welbeck ecosystem if required to ensure you receive the treatment you need as quickly as possible, all under one roof.  

All appointments, testing, treatment, and follow-up appointments take place within our state-of-the-art facilities, enabling us to deliver accurate diagnostics and advanced treatments.

Your health is important to us, so we strive to offer same-day appointments whenever possible.

Our consultants are recognised by the major health insurance companies. If you have private health insurance, your treatment at Welbeck can begin once you have obtained authorisation. We also provide care to self-paying patients. Learn more about the different payment options at Welbeck.

Get in touch today to book an appointment.