4. A 72-year-old man sought treatment for an earache in his left ear. He said that the pain began when he got a new “in the canal” hearing aid for his left ear a month earlier.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Roy F. Sullivan. Reprinted from The Color Atlas of Family Medicine. 2nd ed.
Diagnosis: Acute otitis externa, secondary to ear canal damage done by using the new hearing aid, caused the viscous purulent discharge and narrowing of the ear canal.
For more information, see “Earache.” J Fam Pract. 2013.