The outer, middle and inner ear work together to facilitate hearing and the inner ear is responsible for helping us keep our balance. One or more parts of the ear may become inflamed or infected, leading to a variety of bothersome symptoms such as pain, itching, fluid drainage and hearing loss. Natural aging can also lead to symptoms of hearing problems.
External Ear Symptoms
The outer ear and ear canal can sometimes become irritated or infected. A common outer ear problem is Swimmer's Ear or otitis externa which is an inflammation of the outer ear canal usually caused by bacteria. Symptoms of otitis externa include pain when touching or wiggling the ear, drainage from the ear, some hearing loss, redness of the outer ear, itching in the ear and a swollen ear canal. These symptoms may also reflect other underlying conditions, so you should consult with your doctor if you notice any of these signs.
Inner Ear Symptoms
Ear infections (otitis media) can occur when the tubes inside the ear become clogged with mucus due to infection. Ear infections cause problems hearing (due to clogged passages in the ear), drainage from the ear, troubles sleeping and balance problems. Children who are too young to speak may also tug at their ears and cry more than usual.
Symptoms of an ear infection may also be accompanied by effusion, meaning that there is both fluid in the middle ear and the inner ear is inflamed or swollen. Symptoms of this condition include pain in the ear (and tugging of the ear in children), fever, headache, irritability and trouble sleeping.
Symptoms of persistent and bothersome clicking, roaring, hissing or ringing in the ears are suggestive of a condition called tinnitus. Tinnitus can be caused by hearing loss, excessive exposure to loud noises or certain medications. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), tinnitus may also suggest you have other health conditions like allergies, high or low blood pressure or problems with the heart, blood vessels, jaw or neck.
Hearing loss may also suggest another condition known as Meniere's disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, symptoms of Meniere's commonly occur only in one ear and include tinnitus, problems with hearing that may come and go, dizziness, and ear pressure and pain. These symptoms often come on acutely and attacks may bring about hearing loss and severe dizziness or vertigo and ringing in the ears that lasts for hours. Attacks and symptoms may seldom occur or could be present every day.
Presbycusis
Presbycusis is gradual hearing loss that commonly occurs with aging. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), 30 to 35 percent of adults aged 65 to 75 years old and 40 percent of those over age 75 have hearing loss. People with presbycusis may begin to have a difficult time understand conversations particularly when there is background noise. They may feel as though other people are mumbling or slurring their speech and may find certain sounds to be annoying or overly loud. High-pitched sounds and certain phonics such as "s" and "th" may be hard to hear and differentiate. They may also have tinnitus in one or both ears.
