There is a black lump in the ear

The ears help people hear sounds from the outside world and are the auditory system. To ensure that everyone can achieve the effect of communication through it, everyone must protect their ears in daily activities, because once the ears are damaged, it will affect daily communication activities. Because some dirt will be produced in the ears, people will clean their ears regularly. Sometimes they will find black lumps in the ears. So what is the matter with the black lumps in the ears?

Earwax is a yellowish viscous liquid secreted by the cerumen glands in the skin of the cartilaginous part of the external auditory canal. The cerumen glands are a special type of sweat gland located in the skin of the external auditory canal where ear hair grows. Earwax becomes thin flakes after drying in the air, but some earwax is like sticky grease, commonly known as "oily ears". Earwax protects the skin of the external auditory canal and adheres to foreign objects (such as dust, small insects, etc.). Normally, earwax can fall off and be discharged by itself through movements such as chewing and opening the mouth. Cerumen embolism refers to excessive secretion of cerumen or obstruction of its discharge in the external auditory canal, which causes cerumen to gather into clumps and block the external auditory canal. Once cerumen embolism is formed, it can affect hearing or induce inflammation. It is one of the common diseases in otolaryngology. The symptoms of cerumen embolism vary depending on the degree and location. Those whose external auditory canal is not completely blocked are usually asymptomatic; when patients come to the doctor with clinical manifestations, it is often seen that earwax completely blocks the external auditory canal.

Clinical manifestations:

1. Hearing loss

Complete blockage of the external auditory canal by cerumen can cause hearing loss. The main clinical manifestation is conductive hearing loss. If it expands when exposed to water, it may cause a sudden drop in hearing, which should be differentiated from idiopathic sudden deafness.

2. Ear stuffiness and ear pain

Earwax embolism can induce erosion, swelling, and granulation of the skin in the external auditory canal, which manifests as ear pain or stuffiness.

3. Others

If earwax presses on the eardrum, it can cause tinnitus, dizziness and hearing loss. If earwax presses on the skin of the posterior wall of the external auditory canal, it can cause reflex coughing due to stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve.