Why have I had chronic itching in my ears since childhood?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have had a problem with my ears for as long as I can remember. As an infant and young child, I had constant ear infections. During adolescence and now into adulthood, it changed into something I can only describe as eczema.

It has been bothering me for a very long time, and I am wondering if it could be related to a food allergy. I have taken antihistamines, and they help somewhat, but not completely. The itching is still there, just less severe. What to do to manage this?

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and understood your concern.

It is common for chronic ear infections to continue from childhood into adolescence. The eczema you describe may be due to irritation of the skin inside the ear canal from chronic discharge or a fungal infection.

Itching in the ears can be suggestive of a fungal condition. In addition to taking antihistamines, I would suggest you consider the following:

Use antifungal ear drops once at night for five days, containing Clotrimazole, Beclometasone, Lidocaine, and Chloramphenicol.
Keep your ears dry. Do not allow water to enter during bathing.
You can use a cotton wick soaked in petroleum jelly to help prevent water from entering the ear canal.
Have the ear canal cleaned by an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist to remove any eczematous debris.
Get a hearing test done to assess your hearing status.
Try to avoid scratching the ears, even when the itching becomes irritating, because repeated scratching can worsen inflammation and damage the sensitive skin inside the ear canal over time.

These measures may help improve your symptoms significantly.

I hope you are satisfied with my answer. For further queries, you can consult me at iCliniq.

Thank you.