myringitis

Introduction

Inflammation of the tympanic membrane. Bullous myringitis:

Etiology

• Mycoplasma pneumoniae
• viral infection

Clinical manifestations

• severe ear pain
• hearing loss resulting from chronic serous otitis media
• pain may be relieved when a bulla ruptures, resulting in blood in the external ear canal
• normal tympanic membrane adjacent to severely inflamed tissue

Differential diagnosis

• otitis media

Management

• topical treatment
• antibiotics
  • macrolide (azithromycin)
  • doxycycline
• analgesics

More general terms

• ear infection

Additional terms

• chronic serous otitis media (glue ear, otitis media with effusion)