Child Has Fever And Ear Turn Black. What Is The Problem?

Posted on Sat, 20 Apr 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 Answered on

Tue, 14 May 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : my son was very sick with high fever and after the fever went away both his ears on the out side went purle then black the whole ear. now when ever he gets a high fever the bottoms of the ears turn black do you know what this is called or what brings it on? have had him to the hospital and family doc nobody now what it is. thank you XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Sumit Bhatti (2 hours later)

Hi,

Thank you for your query.

1. Black or purple discoloration of the external ear, pinna or earlobes results from decreased blood supply.

2. Drugs such as cocaine are very powerful vaso-constrictors. The constriction of the blood vessels, especially in end arteries leads to this condition.

3. Sometimes, fillers and contaminants used to increase the quantity or enhance the effects of these drugs leads to increased side effects and adverse reactions.

4. Other possibilities are the use of earrings or piercings, tattoo inks, bruising, vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels) and Raynaud's phenomenon.

5. It is good to hear that he has been successfully rehabilitated. There must be some long term damage to the minute peripheral blood vessels.

6. Vasodilator medication, local steroid ointments, Hyper-Baric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) are some of the treatment options.

I hope that I have answered your queries. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar