Watery Ear Discharge

We are all pretty used to our noses running, but when wet stufff leaks out of our ears, it is another matter. As with earwax, watery discharge from the ear, medically known as OTORRHEA, can be a clue that the ear is cleaning itself.

But ear drainage may signal several conditions that if left untreated can progress to more serious problems. For example, a painless drainage from the ear can be a sign of a respiratory tract infection or a bacterial fungal, or viral infection in the ear.

And if you have yellow, pus-like discharge, which may or may not be smelly, it can point to a permanently perforated eardrum or to a chronic middle ear infection, medically known as CHRONIC OTITIS MEDIA. Chronic middle ear infections can cause hearing loss, ear polyps, Cholesteatomas (skin-like cysts in the middle ear), and Mastoiditis (a serious infection of the bony structure behind the ear). If untreated, both cholesteatomas and mastoiditis may lead to meningitis and even death.

If you have blood-tinged ear discharge, call your doctor immediately or go to the emergency room. It can be a sign of a tumor in the external or middle ear canal. If you have recently had a blow to your head or head surgery, you may have spinal fluid leakage, which can be life-threatening.