Is your ear leaking fluid? And are you looking for why fluid is draining from your ear? This health blurb outlines some of the causes for an ear leaking fluid.
Your runny ear, aka otorrhea, could be simply caused by previously trapped water that’s draining. This is a common occurrence because of the structural nature of an ear.
Another fairly common cause for ear fluid drainage is an ear infection or inflammation, what’s referred to as otitis. Otitis can develop in the outer (swimmer’s ear), middle (otitis media) or inner (labrynthitis) ear. Some of the underlying causes for inflamed or infected ear problem are allergy, dermatitis, cold and sinus infection. And if your eustachian tubes are swollen or blocked, then even more fluid may run out of your ear than otherwise. Bacteria mostly causes an ear infection, although viruses, like respiratory syncytial virus and influenza virus, can be the cause as well.
Above are the most likely causes for fluid leaking ear problem. However, there are other unusual reasons for ear fluid to drain, for instance:
- tumor
- mastoiditis
- skull fracture
- cholesteatoma
- boil in ear canal
- ruptured eardrum
- ear trauma, injury
- cerebrospinal fluid leak
Many of these causes for a runny ear will be accompanied by other symptoms. So you should research each one individually to help narrow down if one them is the potential cause for why you have ear fluid drainage.