Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Otitis externa causes
Introduction
Overview
Overview
The primary cause of otitis externa is bacterial; the majority of cases result from Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus infections. Otomycosis can cause otitis externa with primary infectious fungi including Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Allergy-caused dermatitis can cause non-infectious otitis externa if it spreads to the ear canal; this includes inflammatory dermatoses such as eczema, seborrhea, and psoriasis. Contact dermatitis can cause otitis externa from allergic reactions to cosmetic chemicals and metals. Rarely, psoriasis therapy secukinumab can cause otitis externa as an adverse reaction.
Causes
Causes
Causes of otitis externa include all sources of inflammation of the external ear canal.[1]
Bacterial
- The most common bacterial causes of otitis externa include:[2]
- Additional bacterial causes of otitis externa include:[3]
- Staphylococcus epidermidis
- Microbacterium otitidis
- Microbacterium alconae
- Staphylococcus caprae
- Staphylococcus auricularis
- Enterococcus faecalis
- Enterobacter cloacae
- Staphylococcus capitis
- Staphylococcus haemolyticus
- Infectious bacteria that thrive in water can cause otitis externa due to facilitated transport to the ear canal.[4]
Fungal
- Otomycosis can cause otitis externa. The most common causes of fungal otitis externa include:[5]
- Otomycosis-caused otitis externa is common after prolonged antibiotic therapy.[1]
Allergic Reactions
- Allergy-caused dermatitis can cause non-infectious otitis externa if they spread to the ear canal and include the following:[5]
- Eczema
- Seborrhea
- Psoriasis[6]
- Contact dermatitis as a reaction to the following:
- Metals such as nickel or silver
- Hearing aids
- Chemical irritants, including shampoos, soaps, cosmetics etc.,
Drug interaction
- Rarely, psoriasis therapy secukinumab can cause otitis externa as an adverse reaction.[7]
Causes by Chronicity
Chronic Otitis Externa
- Chronic otitis externa is most commonly caused by the following:
- Otomycosis, particularly by Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger
- Allergic rhinitis
- Underlying dermatoses:
Acute Otitis Externa
- Primarily caused by bacterial infection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.[8]
References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hajioff D, Mackeith S (2008). “Otitis externa”. BMJ Clin Evid. 2008. PMC 2907945. PMID 19450296.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Williams, K. P.; Gillespie, J. J.; Sobral, B. W. S.; Nordberg, E. K.; Snyder, E. E.; Shallom, J. M.; Dickerman, A. W. (2010). “Phylogeny of Gammaproteobacteria”. Journal of Bacteriology. 192 (9): 2305–2314. doi:10.1128/JB.01480-09. ISSN 0021-9193.
- ↑ Roland PS, Stroman DW (2002). “Microbiology of acute otitis externa”. Laryngoscope. 112 (7 Pt 1): 1166–77. doi:10.1097/00005537-200207000-00005. PMID 12169893.
- ↑ “Swimmer’s ear : MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia”.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Rosenfeld, R; Brown, L; Cannon, C; Dolor, R; Ganiats, T; Hannley, M; Kokemueller, P; Marcy, S; Roland, P; Shiffman, R (2006). “Clinical practice guideline: Acute otitis externa”. Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. 134 (4): S4–S23. doi:10.1016/j.otohns.2006.02.014. ISSN 0194-5998.
- ↑ Kang K, Stevens SR. Pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis. Clin Dermatol 2003;21:116–121.
- ↑ “DailyMed – COSENTYX- secukinumab injection”.
- ↑ Schaefer P, Baugh RF (2012). “Acute otitis externa: an update”. Am Fam Physician. 86 (11): 1055–61. PMID 23198673.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Luke Rusowicz-Orazem, B.S.; Tarek Nafee, M.D. [2]