The recent events in a 64-year-old Taiwanese woman’s left ear drew medical and public attention. These feelings were more than simply annoyances; they were persistent, generating clicking and rustling noises that interrupted her sleep and daily life. As she would soon find, the source of her agony was anything but ordinary.
After suffering through several nights of inexplicable disturbances, the woman decided to seek help. She went to an ear, nose, and throat specialist for help with her strange symptoms. During her medical examination, the doctor saw something unexpected and a little concerning: a small spider zipping around within her ear canal. Doctors discovered not just the spider but also its exoskeleton, showing that the bug had molted in the patient’s ear canal.
This instance is so unusual that it must be documented in a prestigious medical publication. After reading about the case in the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors from all over the world took note. Dr. Tengchin Wang, co-author and chief of otolaryngology at Tainan Municipal Hospital, explained the case’s rarity. Dr. Wang has witnessed a diverse range of insects within his patients’ ears during the course of his career, including ants, moths, cockroaches, and mosquitoes.
He recognized the situation as unusual since it was his first encounter with an ear canal insect molt. According to US specialists, discovering insects within the ear is not unusual, so this case should not be ignored as a medical anomaly. David Kasle, an ENT specialist from Sinus and Allergy of South Florida, provided his thoughts on the subject. Several ENT experts, according to Dr. Kasle, have had to use dental picks to remove bugs from their patients’ ear canals.
According to a previous study, around 14% of foreign items identified in ear canals are actual insects. This huge number shows that such incidents actually occur, albeit seldom. Similar occurrences may be found in the medical record. In 2020, for example, physicians in Pennsylvania discovered a Japanese beetle in the ear canal of a 14-year-old girl. Something wormed its way into the teen’s ear as she was swimming.
A 9-year-old child from Connecticut complained of buzzing sounds in his ear in 2019. Medical examinations indicated that the child had a tick stuck in his eardrum. Dr. Stacey Ishman, an otolaryngology teacher at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, has seen numerous cases like this in her 23 years of practice. She emphasized how dangerous these acts are for campers and hikers.
If you fear an insect is lodged in your ear, consult a doctor immediately. Avoid touching it with your fingers, tweezers, or anything else sharp, since this might cause difficulties. Instead, try putting some oil in your ear—olive oil, baby oil, or vegetable oil—to see if it helps. The bug may drown or decide to leave.
Lidocaine or ethanol may be effective for dealing with bigger insects; however, their use should be treated with caution due to the possibility of rupturing the eardrum. Finally, the spider in the woman’s ear underlines the need in the medical industry to be prepared for the unexpected. While alarming, incidents like these underline the need to obtain urgent medical assistance and follow the advice of competent experts.
Journal Reference
Weng, L., & Wang, T. (2023). New England Journal of Medicine, 389(17). doi:10.1056/nejmicm2307942
