What Causes Redness And Swelling On The Ear Post Injury?

Posted on Mon, 16 May 2016

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

Mon, 16 May 2016 Answered on

Fri, 24 Jun 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : hi just with a four year old.. he fell over a couple days ago on concrete and hit the right side of his head (the corner). cried for a while but now ok and behaving normally and no symptoms. eating normally too. just realised today he got on his left ear redness and swelling. it's only on the top half of the ear and it's gotten bigger with the swelling. can that be related? I think he may have gotten bitten by something though. just want to check if the swelling could be related to the head injury although that was on the opposite side. also the swelling is not all ear and not really behind ear. it's really just made the top half of his ear and tip of ear really big and red and it's warm. he isn't feeling anything though

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (40 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
something else probably

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

red and warm ear (of the pinna) means inflammation (a bite? infection?). There is no way to have swelling by hitting the opposite side of the head. If it's itchy and scratches it all the time then a bite is the most likely cause. In any case ear inflammation requires an immediate diagnosis. Symptoms of infection may include fever and a bad mood (no appetite, no energy, etc). Pain is usually prominent. If it's an infection then prompt treatment is warranted, so an urgent visit to your doctor is recommended. Symptoms of infection may include fever and a bad mood (no appetite, no energy, etc). Pain is usually prominent.

I hope it helps!
Kind Regards!

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