The Dangers of Earwax Digging: Facial Paralysis and Brain Abscess

Earwax digging also causes facial paralysis? Severe cases can cause brain abscess death! A 50-year-old man in Taiwan sought medical treatment earlier because of hearing loss and discomfort in his right neck. During the examination, he suddenly developed facial paralysis and drooling, and was once thought to be having a stroke. After treatment, it was discovered that the man had done something wrong while digging earwax, which resulted in otitis externa, which almost caused death from brain abscess.

Earwax digging made one mistake, causing facial paralysis and drooling

According to comprehensive Taiwan media reports, the man had symptoms such as hearing loss and right neck discomfort in the past year, so he sought medical examination. The doctor found that the right external auditory canal was blocked and filled with pink granulation tissue, suspected to be cancer cells, and arranged for him to undergo a biopsy. However, before the biopsy, the man suddenly felt severe pain in his right ear, his face was paralyzed and he was drooling non-stop. The doctor performed an emergency operation on him. It was found that there was a foreign body in the man’s external auditory canal, and finally a 2 cm long worm was clipped out. Cotton tip.

Foreign body remaining in the ear canal causes long-term inflammation of granulation hyperplasia and facial paralysis

According to the report, the hyperplastic granulation tissue in the ear canal of the man was caused by the long-term residue of cotton swabs. Later, the ear canal was filled with granulation, which made the hearing worse. At the same time, it caused inflammation of the mastoid bone behind the middle ear cavity, causing discomfort in the right neck. In addition, due to the long-term inflammation of the external auditory canal, the man’s facial nerves were also affected, resulting in hemiparalysis and continuous flow of saliva. After treatment with drugs and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the man’s condition improved.

Long-term inflammation of the ear canal can lead to death from brain abscess

Dr. Yang Zhuanqian, director of the Department of Otolaryngology at E-Da Hospital, said that long-term inflammation of the ear canal may affect hearing, and in severe cases, there may even be intracranial infection, which is life-threatening. He also pointed out that long-term ear canal inflammation can lead to the following 4 results:

• ruptured eardrum
• otitis media
• meningitis
• brain abscess

[Same Field Gayon]Symptoms, Causes and Risk Factors of External Auditory Canal Cancer

Earwax must be removed?Proper way to clean ears

Does earwax have to be removed? Dr. Yang Zhuanqian said that weakly alkaline earwax has a bactericidal function, so you don’t need to dig it out deliberately, and once there is too much earwax, it will automatically fall off with talking, eating and other actions. Dr. Yang also reminded that ear picking may injure the external auditory canal or leave foreign objects in the ear canal, which may lead to complications such as otitis externa, hearing loss and facial nerve paralysis.

Dr. Yang also pointed out that if water gets into the ears after taking a bath or swimming, you should turn your head to let the water flow out, and then dry your ears with a towel instead of digging them. If you can’t bear the discomfort in your ears, or if there are foreign objects in your ears that cannot be removed, or if you experience ear pain, hearing loss, etc., you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

7 major symptoms of otitis externa

According to the information from the Department of Health, otitis externa is an infection of the epidermis of the external auditory canal, mainly bacterial infection, and occasionally fungal or viral infection. The main symptom is itching in the ear canal. Occasionally, there will be fever and water or pus-like fluid flow out. In the early stage of acute otitis externa, the ear will feel itchy and swollen. If the otitis externa is mild, it will heal on its own. Inflammation continues to expand. Its symptoms are as follows:

Symptoms of otitis externa

• ear pain
• Burning in the ear canal
• Pus
• Enlargement of local lymph glands around the ear
• tingling ear pus
• high fever
• Exhausted

5 ways to prevent otitis externa

The Department of Health also pointed out that acute otitis externa is a type of bacterial infection caused by damage to the wax protective layer and skin of the external auditory canal. There are also 5 ways to prevent otitis externa:

How to prevent otitis externa

• Avoid picking ears with hard objects and pay attention to personal hygiene.
• Keep the external auditory canal dry, clean and undamaged. If you have suffered from otitis externa, you can use waterproof earplugs under the guidance of a doctor to prevent sewage from entering the ear and causing infection when swimming, bathing or washing your hair.
• If water enters, try to let the water flow out naturally. You can tilt your head and pull the pinna upwards and backwards, and use a large cotton ball to absorb the water that flows out of the ear canal. Do not use ordinary thick cotton swabs to rotate in the ear canal, so as not to hurt the skin of the ear canal.
• People who wear ear canal earphones or hearing aids should avoid long-term damp environment in the ear canal to prevent bacteria from multiplying. The earplugs of the earphones should be disinfected or replaced regularly, and the hearing aids should be wiped with a dry cloth after use and placed in a dry box.
• Avoid letting infants lie down to drink milk, so as to avoid milk spilling or backflow into the ear, causing inflammation.

Further reading: The correct way to deal with earwax

How to deal with excessive earwax and water in the ears? Dr. Jiang Kunjun recommends the following methods:

Further reading: Ear canal disease can be caused by sinusitis Acute sinusitis symptoms

The ear, nose and throat are connected, so ear canal diseases, such as otitis media, may be related to diseases such as sinusitis. Otorhinolaryngologist Dr. Wu Zhaokuan pointed out that sinusitis can be divided into acute and chronic. The symptoms of the two are as follows:

8 Symptoms of Chronic Sinusitis

Dr. Wu Zhaokuan also pointed out the 8 major symptoms of chronic sinusitis.

Further reading: 4 major causes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

According to the Hong Kong Department of Health, nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a cancer caused by abnormal growth of nasopharyngeal cells. The majority of patients with this malignant tumor are men, and it is more common in southern China, especially in Guangdong.

There are four main causes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma:

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