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Swimmer's Ear
August 02 , 2004 by Agnes OblasQuestion:
My daughter (aged 7) rarely swims, but the other day her pediatrician said her ear pain was due to “swimmer’s ear”. Why is that?
Answer:
The term represents an infection of the external ear canal, more properly called otitis externa. It’s called “swimmer’s ear” because the condition increases in frequency during summer months when people (mostly kids) do a lot of swimming. The condition develops when water gets trapped behind ear wax. This does not mean that wax must be removed from the ear; in fact using Q-tips actually makes the likelihood of infection greater because Q-tips push some of the wax deeper into the canal. A drop of water then seeps behind the wax, pools there and is a great set up for infection. Water from the shower can even be the culprit, this time usually in adults. Treatment for otitis externa is antibiotic ear drops. Hope she is feeling better!
A. Oblas, RN, CS, MSN
Nurse Practitioner
602.405.6320
medical@evliving.com
