Dr. Huntley's
Diagnosis
Checklist
Have a symptom?
See what questions
a doctor would ask.
See what questions
a doctor would ask.
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Ear infection. These may include a physical examination or other medical tests. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
Why: to determine if acute or chronic. Acute ear infections include acute otitis media (middle ear infection), acute otitis externa (outer ear infection), mastoiditis, acute furunculosis (infection of the hair follicles in the outer third of the ear) and viral labyrinthitis (inner ear infection). Chronic ear infections include chronic otitis media, chronic otitis externa and mastoiditis.
Why: e.g. sore throat, runny nose, sinusitis - may suggest acute otitis media or myringitis bullosa (occurs with influenza, Haemophilus influenza and mycoplasma pneumoniae infections).
Why: may suggest otitis externa.
Why: may suggest otitis externa.
Why: e.g. ear bud - may suggest foreign body and resultant infection.
Why: suggest infected ear lobe. Often due to contact allergy to nickel or chromium in an ear ring.
Why: e.g. allergic skin conditions such as eczema may predispose to otitis externa; medical conditions that may increase risk of recurrent middle ear infections include selective IgA deficiency, common variable immunodeficiency, X-linked agammaglobulinaemia, recurrent adenoiditis, Wegener's granulomatosis, HIV infection and obstructive sleep apnea.
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. These may include:
Why: may suggest acute otitis media (most likely), otitis externa, foreign body, myringitis bullosa, serous otitis media or furunculosis. The location of the ear pain may also assist in diagnosis e.g. in ear, behind ear or below the ear.
Why: Acute ear discharge suggests acute otitis media (middle ear infection) with a rupture of the ear drum, otitis externa (outer ear infection) or myringitis bullosa , especially if have ear pain. A chronic ear discharge may suggest cholesteatoma, chronic otitis media or mastoiditis.
Why: A mucopurulent discharge (mucous to pus-like) suggests chronic otitis media and mastoiditis. A offensive discharge with whitish debris suggests cholesteatoma. A bloody discharge may suggest myringitis bullosa.
Why: suggests otitis media and mastoiditis.
Why: may suggest acute otitis media, chronic otitis media, otitis externa, foreign body, and mastoiditis.
Why: e.g. deep-seated ear pain, deafness , fever, a discharge may follow if the tympanic membrane ruptures which results in relief of pain and fever.
Why: e.g. itching at first, pain, fullness feeling in the ear canal, mild discharge, hearing loss.
Why: e.g. pain, swelling and tenderness developing behind the ear associated with general deterioration in well-being and mucous to pus-like ear discharge.
Why: e.g. vertigo (spinning hallucination of movement of self or surroundings) provoked by head movement.
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