Otalgia differential diagnosis
Overview
Based on the pain originates,differential diagnosis can be divided into primary and secondary categories.The causes of the Primary otalgia include,infectious,mechanical,neoplastic and inflammatory.Secondary otalgia originates other organ system. Most of the secondary causes related to head and neck.
Differentiating Otalgia from other Diseases
Based on the pain originates,differential diagnosis can be divided into primary and secondary categories.The causes of the Primary otalgia include,infectious,mechanical,neoplastic and inflammatory.Secondary otalgia originates other organ system. Most of the secondary causes related to head and neck.
Differentiating otalgia from other diseases on the basis of primary and secondary causes
| Diseases | symptoms | physical examination |
|---|---|---|
| Otitis media | otalgia, hearing loss,new onset of otorrhea not caused by otitis externa | Bulging tympanic membrane,Middle ear effusion |
| Otitis externa | otalgia, pruritus, discharge, and hearing loss | Tenderness with tragal pressure,edema and erythema of ear canal |
| Myringitis | otalgia+/-, ear discharge | Serous liquid-filled blisters on the tympanic membrane |
| Eustachian tube dysfunction | otalgia, a sensation of ear fullness or pressure, hearing loss, tinnitus,autophony | Retracted tympanic membrane , short process is more prominent, manubrium (or handle) of the malleus appears shorter |
| Cerumen impaction | ||
| Barotrauma | ||
| Cholesteatoma | ||
| Wegener granulomatosis | ||
| Sinusitis | ||
| Temporomandibular joint | ||
| Dental pathology | ||
| lymphadenopathy | ||
| pharyngitis | ||
| myocardial infarction | ||
| Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) | ||
| Idiopathic or psychogenic |