Publication:

Causes of referred otalgia: a hospital-based study

Background The aim of our study was to evaluate various etiologies of referred otalgia.

Methods The present study was conducted in the department of ENT, SMGS Hospital, GMC Jammu from January 2019 to January 2020. A total of 65 patients with complaint of pain in ear but normal ear examination was included in our study. All patients underwent complete ENT examination.

Results The most common cause for referred otalgia was dental pathology (58.4%), followed by pharyngitis (16.9%), tonsillitis (10.7%), supraglottic cancer (7.6%), cervical spine pathology (3.07%) and peritonsillar abscess (3.07%).

Conclusions Otalgia is a symptom with diverse causes. Though many causes are otogenic, referred pain from other regions of head and neck is also very common.