I have a hard and painless pea-sized lump in front of my ear. Should I get it checked?

Hi,

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A lymph node located in the preauricular or the auricular region usually represents infection in the scalp, temples, the eye, or even in the ear. There could be a subtle subclinical chronic infection of the scalp you are probably not aware of. It is always worthwhile to get this area examined by a trichologist or dermatologist. In most cases, this diagnosis does get missed, and patients are often given antibiotics without ascertaining the root cause of the problem in concern. In such a case, recurrence is extremely common. Alternatively, you can also get an FNAC (fine needle aspiration cytology) done if there is no evidence of infection in the above-mentioned regions. Earache or a recent onset could be mainly due to small folliculitis, for which you can take tablet Ciplox 500 mg one tablet in the morning and evening after food for one week. Night sweats could be due to altering blood sugar levels, and this is always better evaluated by getting an HbA1c estimation done. Breathing issues and pain in the chest can be due to GERD and LPR (gastroesophageal reflux with laryngopharyngeal reflux), and both these components will require step-wise long term management. Please do get an FNAC done after taking the antibiotics mentioned above for the possible folliculitis in the outer ear. Also, do visit a trichologist or dermatologist, and if there is no evidence of an infection in the above-mentioned regions, please do get an FNAC done. In most cases, it is nothing that you need to worry about, and the reports are usually suggestive of reactive lymphadenitis. I hope I have answered your query in detail. If there is anything more that you need to know or enquire about, please do let us know, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Warm regards.