What is Red Ear Syndrome?

Yes, I have this condition too and it is so worrisome because I do not know why I have it or what it is. I think maybe it could be partly stress and anxiety because I have a bad case of these symptoms. I have lost several members of my family in the last few years and that seems to be a big reason I am so stressed.

However, while I was taking a stress test on a treadmill, the nurse told me she had this problem too, and the Cardiologist standing next to me did not comment at all about our conversation.

What I do is get a cold pack from the fridge and hold it on my ear and it finally goes away but today I have had two episodes. The cold pack does help a lot and I try to make sure I am not dehydrated also.

Not one doctor in my 75 years has been able to give me a diagnosis. Maybe one day someone will.

My beautiful grandson was born with it and he is now 17 but has not had an episode in a while. May God Bless each one of you and give you his peace to cope with this most unfortunate condition. In the meantime, keep a cold pack in your fridge always if would like to try it. Thanks for all your suggestions for treatment of this most strange condition.

I just started to have something like this: It starts with a throbbing and burning of my ears (always symmetrical and bilateral) which spreads to my face and scalp, then progresses to my arms and legs. There is no trigger, and it lasts anywhere from several minutes to several hours. My trunk is never involved, except for a tiny patch on my upper chest.

Doing research on this I find it interesting that this and erythromelalgia seem to be very very similar. I do have diabetes and my red blood cells are beginning to test somewhat high in number and volume. (My husband has polycythemia vera, so if I am developing this it would be extremely rare.)

I am not registered officially as having this condition, though I have numerous pictures for the next time I visit a doctor. The first time was so bizarre I ended up at the ER, but by the time the ambulance arrived, the redness was gone and my blood pressure was returning to normal again as well, so the only thing they looked at was blood pressure spikes.

I suspect this and erythromelalgia are subsets of the same thing, and that this is under-reported/ less rare than they say.

I also have this disease and do not know what to do.

Weird, I got this today out of the blue.

Not sure what it could be. I've been taking seroxat for 20 years as an antidepressant and now I'm coming off them. I also suffered migraine symptoms last week (scintillating scloroma) a kind of crest in my field of vision for about 15mins scary when it happens. I've been sleeping on about four or five pillows because I have GERD/acid reflux so I have to sleep inclined. This messes my neck up as I end up sleeping with a bent neck. I also have gluten/dairy/soy intolerance so maybe its intestinal or vascular? I am overweight, have fatty liver and gallbladder polyps. Can any of these have to do with this?

Gerald

My 4 year old son is suffering from this. His ears (usually one at a time, but can be both) get very red and he cries that they are hot and burning. They are painful to touch and do feel hot to the touch as well. I went to his doctor and they had no idea.

Yesterday he had the worst case yet. As soon as he woke up, his ears were hot and burning so I got him a cold rag (usually that gives him relief). Yesterday, the cold rag did not help whatsoever! The redness seemed to be spreading (I noticed behind his ear into his hair had a red rash and the rash was a little on his face as well, near his ear). I took him to the ER and they had no idea so I told them about this Red Ear Syndrome, she looked it up online and told me I was exactly right and she thinks that is exactly what it is.

I am going back to his family doctor today and requesting to be sent to a specialist. I hope someone can tell me something more and hopefully be able to provide him with some relief!

I started taking Effexor XR one month ago. It pretty much stopped my ears from turning hot and red from the second day and hasn't quit yet.

Women take it for hot flashes, so I know it can't be caused from raising my mood or ridding my OCD tendencies. It has to be some chemical in the drug that helps. My dose is 75mg/day. Some get by with the smallest dose of 37.5mg.

I've been on numerous antidepressants throughout the years and never had any success with RES with any of them. I didn't even know they were suppose to help it until I got on Effexor XR and got this pleasant effect and decided to look into the medication a little more.

So there you go. No more RES and it bumped up my mood also.

Now that's cool.

After 20-plus years of trying to figure out a cure, along with a lot of depression and anxiety I finally came across a "cure" so to speak. It's the active ingredient in Afrin nasal spray, Oxymetazoline Hcl, 0.05%, and a whole bunch of other OTC medications. I put some on a cotton ball and rub it all over my ears, front and back every day. I don't put it in my ears though. I suppose that might cause a headache. It lasts just about all day too. Sometimes my ears will get a little red but that's better than blood red and shiny. And even if they get slightly red, they don't burn or throb.

There is a bunch of info on this for topical treatment of Rosacea. I also take Clonidine for ADHD and it does help with the RES but only if I take a lot. I don't like how it makes me tired so it's a miracle that Afrin nasal spray works even better than Clonidine with no drowsiness. It's as close to a cure that I found that doesn't involve surgery. And even that's not guaranteed.

If you're looking for a cause, good luck. There are a million things that cause this, tons of people have it so it's far from "rare". It just doesn't get reported and the generic answer from doctors is, " it's stress related". Yeah, o.k. Or you can stay away from triggers by living in an igloo and not moving your head around.

I have found my solution for the red ears! I am a man from Holland. I've had the red ears thing for six years or more now. My ears would become red hot and sometimes it got so bad it felt like I was sitting in a sauna. I have tried everything from cutting out certain food in my diet and going to the doctor asking about it. He sad it was normal and that I should live with it. He was wrong and I knew it!

Now I have finally found my solution what's causing it for me. I don't know if it would work for everybody. But at least try it! For years I've eaten a lot of fast food, ramen noodles and a lot of other unhealthy, salty foods! My body would build up a lot of these bad salts.

Now I've completely changed my diet eating very little salt and eating healthy bread, vegetables, fruit and supplements like fish oil omega 3/6 Multi-vitamins A-Z etc. Now two months later, my red ears are almost completely gone! I'm so happy about it!

My ear (usually just the one) also goes extremely hot and red. It is not painful or itchy, but it is uncomfortably hot.

I also have a problem with my nose going red and uncomfortably hot. Having researched rosacea, I don't think that rosacea is the cause.

This problem usually happens in the late afternoon or evening, and I can't identify any triggers. Sometimes it happens after drinking alcohol, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it happens when I'm stressed, sometimes it happens when I'm completely relaxed.

I have IBS, social anxiety, and I take Wellbutrin for depression. I don't know if these things are possibly related?

I'm 37 years old and have had Red Ear Syndrome my whole life. This usually occurs during the early evening and night hours. It also happens more frequently in the winter than the summer. They usually turn bright red and hot to the touch when I am in a warm room with the heater on. I also get them when I am under a lot of stress. And on many different occasions, when I am eating out at a restaurant, they usually always turn red for no apparent reason.

I was diagnosed with high blood pressure when I was 25 years old but have had Red Ear Syndrome long before that. I just wish I knew a way to cure this bizarre condition.

My 13 year old son has been suffering from Red Ear Syndrome for about four years and it is becoming unbearable for him. It happens almost every day and seems to be triggered by heat, touch, exercise or stress. It affects both ears and recently seems to include redness of the sides of the face.

I took him to a rheumatologist, who does not believe it is Relapsing Polychondritis (RP), as the whole ear including the lobe is affected. But in the course of doing blood work we discovered his antinuclear antibody titer is very high at 1:2560.

There is a lot of autoimmune disease in my family. I myself suffer from Rheumatoid arthritis along with several other autoimmune disorders. Has anyone heard of an autoimmune connection other than RP? Perhaps Lupus? Thanks.

I just finished a McDonalds Praline McFlurry 30 minutes ago. I lay down to sleep and woke up with a hot, red right ear. It must be an allergy. I am on antibiotics for an upper respiratory bug and maybe sweet treats and meds don't mix. It's definitely an allergic reaction as I've been on the meds for days and this is the first time this has ever happened to me.

I have had red eye syndrome since 2008 and also discovered that same year that I had Rosacea, My ears burn at the same time every evening, or if I touch the ear throughout the day it will trigger the burning, Sometimes when my rosacea flares up on my cheeks then the ears will follow suit, It really gets me down so I have been searching for some kind of cure and came across

The Demodex mites are microscopic bugs that live in the hair follicle and feed off the oils produced there, when they die (inside the hair follicle) and their decomposing bodies cause inflammation to the skin, which is what some skin experts believe causes rosacea, I wonder if there is a connection between the two.

I have been aware that I have had this problem for two years now. I never get red ear during summer months, only winter. Whenever I move from cool temperatures to warmer temperatures, my ear will get gnarly red and it makes my entire body hot. Ice packs help and make red ear go away, but I want to find something to cure it. I can't carry around ice packs wherever I go.

I am sitting here with one hot red throbbing ear right now! I have been wondering if it's because I have caught a chill on my ears this winter from not wearing a beanie or ear muffs. Sometimes it gets itchy but its only the one.

I get that. It's usually one ear at the time. I don't know why, but it lasts for a while, more than an hour and goes away. My ears don't hurt, but I do feel them get hot and under pressure from all the blood, even if usually I don't even notice it until I look in the mirror.

I somehow think it's related with my blood pressure but I don't know for sure.

Side note: My dog had vein or an artery in his ear burst after he had couple of days more physical activity than he usually gets. I believe he has red ear syndrome as well.

I get itchy, red, hot ears randomly, after I put earrings in, or if I'm thinking too hard. My ears break out really bad, but it's usually one at a time. At first they get really hot and red, then after a while they turn itchy and uncomfortable.

Knowing me, I scratch at it and forget to stop, which makes them break out in boils. This has only happened once and scared me senseless. I'm still occasionally getting red ear syndrome. I try my best to not mess with it.

I got red ears when I let my hair covers my ears. Although nobody can see it, it feels hot and uncomfortable.

I get it when driving with the sunshine on the left side of my face.

I have been experiencing this for years and my primary doctor didn't sound convinced I was actually having these problems. However, I did have to go in for an MRI for neck pain and discovered I had bi-lateral spinal stenosis in C4 and C5 discs, which puts pressure on the nerves in the neck. I did have a consult with a spinal surgeon and he actually said he's seen many cases where these problems cause the red ear syndrome.

This is so weird. I thought I was the only one. I have red ears right now. I'm 15 and my mom says it's been happening to me since I was a baby. I don't know what I can do to make it better. It happens at school and everywhere. I just put some cold water on them and that sometimes helps.

It's not hiding the redness that people are concerned about, it's the fact that your ears get so hot it feels like someone is holding a furnace next to it. And also, it usually happens randomly for no reason at all.

I have an allergy to a substance in hair dye called PPD and read that some food dyes can cause ears to get hot and turn red.. I had some frosting on a cookie with dye and my right ear got hot and turned bright red immediately after.

It's also been said that people with bi-polar get this for no reason. It happens to my son and it never hurts and isn't when he's angry, either.

I know stress has something to do with it, but it is not the only cause. I can be totally relaxed, by myself, without a care in the world, when suddenly it feels like someone is holding hot irons just an inch away from my ear(s). Then I automatically start thinking about it and it just gets worse and I turn blood-red. Very embarrassing when talking to someone and it happens in a matter of minutes and lasts hours. I can literally feel my heartbeat in them.

My PCP mentioned surgery, (last resort), but I found that the BP med Clonidine, at the right dose, will completely stop it. Unfortunately, you never know when it will happen, so I need to take it regularly. Whatever, it keeps my BP in check since I have social anxiety anyway. I found this by chance when I used the med to help with methadone withdrawals and noticed that even in stressful situations it doesn't happen anymore. Total social lifesaver.

My ears turn red and I feel very uncomfortable when I feel very hot on my ears. This happens especially after taking a hot shower at night or in the office and sometimes after 7 p.m. This started happening when I was a teenager. I don't have any stress. Please let me know if any one knows a permanent solution for this.

I have been experiencing unilateral left ear pain on and off for the past 20 years. I have seen both ENT and Rheumatology specialists and tried every medication, including prednisone and hydroxychloroquine. Nothing helps.

A typical flare up begins with excruciating pain involving only yhr lower and cartilaginous part of my ear, which is remarkably tender and very sensitive to touch. The pain gets worse with any movement of my ear and does not respond to any medication at all. It lasts for several hours and goes away when I wake up the following morning. I was in remission for three years. Recently the pain recurred with increased frequency and I am running out of all options. Anyone with suggestions?

I just wanted to share a similar experience as my ears turn red and becomes hot after taking a hot shower after 6 p.m. This experience has been consistent and started happening when I was a teenager. It may be also related to stress or anxiety as I feel stressed or anxious at the same time.

I'm so pleased to read these comments - I thought it was just me! I seem to get red ear syndrome in my right ear only - sometimes it develops into a migraine, sometimes it accompanies my period, so I wonder if it could be hormonal? I've also read that it can be a symptom of the menopause - I'm 42 too, maybe that's possible too?

My daughter gets this on both ears, but sometimes only one is affected. It began when she was very young, about three, and she still gets it at 12. It began when she would ingest red food dye 40, so of course we stopped that all together. Now it happens every now and then usually while she is eating. It does not hurt but she usually applies a cold wash cloth to them and it dissipates within an hour.

Oh, heavens. I started chewing bubble gum when alone in my office to thwart my urge to eat all the time, and have ended up with bright red, hot ears. Nice to know it is nothing serious, but caused by chewing!

Chiropractic work on my neck has helped immensely. Twice daily episodes have decreased to one every couple of months and the headaches I was having are also nearly gone.

Red Ear Syndrome is often caused by neck movements, and by having chiropractic work done to fix the alignmnt of the neck where it is hitting the nerves may fix the problem.

I did an earlier post about this subject, but I'm registered now, so here goes: Try some zyrtec. Today is the first day I've taken it for my allergies, which are terrible. It is an antihistamine sold OTC and cheap too. It worked on this issue and was an unexpected effect too. First day without (red ear) in a very long time. Good luck!

I'm another one with red ear. Sometimes it's both ears but usually my right ear. I can feel it turning red and hot. I don't have pain with it and I don't know what triggers it. It just happens. It is irritating.

Whatever red ear is; whatever its causes, etiology (and none that are well worked out are known), it must correlate with vasodilation. This may be engendered by histamine. In 2010, this line of thinking leads one to consideration of the vexatious area of inflammatory (probably neuroinflammatory) mechanisms.

As enhanced circulation, vasodilation is responsible for the redness. And this can sometimes be a painful condition.

@TX: Apply cold water to the ear, one or a few times. Water in its liquid state, as applied to the ear, requires energy (heat) on evaporation. this is exactly what happens in evaporation: the water draws heat from the ear. Cold water also effects vasoconstriction.

The possible relationship with neuroinflammation is provocative.

You all may want to look up a condition called Relapsing Polychondritis. Red hot ears are one of the primary symptoms, although the ear lobes never turn red. It is a very rare condition, and most of what you read on the internet will scare you - only because there has not been much research done because it is a rare condition.

There is a yahoo group devoted to the approximately 600 people in the US and abroad who have the condition or are related to someone with it. For those who have other autoimmune conditions especially, it is worth looking up. It is very possible that you have it and don't know it. A rheumatologist can help diagnose you. Good luck.

well you may as well make that 58 people registered. I am having the same problems. Glad to know that it is stress related. A massage must be in order. LOL.

I do connect it to heat, as many times when approaching a warm room, even when I am on my own I can feel growing sensation, so I know they are becoming red.

For me it is frustrating and I do feel very uncomfortable. I can feel it so probably I trigger it even more (somehow).

For anyone suffering from chronic red ears like me, you can use Dermablend Smooth Indulgence. Use a lighter base coat and a color that matches your skin - thin coats. Use the powder. Start with clean ears. This actually works and I am very thankful for it which is why I am sharing this with others.

By the way, I am a guy and it works so well, you can't tell. For girls, it's as easy as what they already do for their faces. Best of luck!

i also have this condition. i have had it for about five years. i am a 43 year old female. i also saw a neurologist and everything was fine. my regular physician also says it's fine. but it is so annoying and very uncomfortable.

i have other conditions that the cause is unknown for such as ibs. both seem to be much worse when I'm stressed!

I too have this same problem. I thought it had gone away, yet it has reappeared in the past couple of weeks. I truly believe that it is related to stress/anxiety. That seems to be the time that the episodes take place are times of heightened anxiety.

I'm a new grandfather at 42 and they also live here too, for a couple of weeks. Love them with all my heart, but coming home after work has taken a whole new meaning, and a new direction that I had not forecast. It's stress, friends.

I also have this red hot ear. I have had it for nearly nine months now. It comes and goes. Don't know what the possible reason for this might be. Sometimes it's really irritating.

I've just seen a neurologist who has diagnosed me with having migraines with aura and red ear syndrome. I've been told its very rare and he sees one every five years. the burning prickly sensation in my ear affects my jaw, ear and cheek and i can certainly feel when i have one. Fortunately while in my appointment i touched my head to describe where i feel the pain and within seconds my ear was bright red. this was good (in one respect) as the consultant could physically see what happens.

I have been prescribed some preventative medication and will see how this helps. I would love to chat with people who have this. I believe there are only about 57 people registered with this rare condition.