Kanishka Chowdhury1, Sabyasachi Banerjee2
BACKGROUND
Cutaneous lesions of external ear are quite common in clinical practice. Patients
often present with various cutaneous lesions of the external ear to various
disciplines. They are often underdiagnosed as many lesions, though commonly
diagnosed by our dermatologist colleague are missed by other clinicians. These
lesions can be classified in various ways, according to the aetiology, and according
to the anatomic sites. In the present study, we tried to assess the prevalence of
different skin lesions affecting external ear presenting to an ENT and skin
outpatient department of a tertiary care medical college in Eastern part of India.
METHODS
This is a descriptive observational study, cross sectional in design. 240 patients
attended the outpatient department with cutaneous lesions affecting external ear
from January 2019 to February 2020. The patients presenting in both ENT and
skin outpatient department were chosen randomly. Cases were diagnosed based
on history and clinical examination and appropriate investigation as required. All
cases were categorised into 5 types (infective, inflammatory, autoimmune,
neoplasm & naevi, and reactive & reparative) according to the aetiology. In each
category, prevalence of various skin lesions was recorded.
RESULTS
A total number of 240 cases were detected during the study period. Among them,
infective 43.33 %, inflammatory 30.83 %, autoimmune 9.17 %, neoplasm & naevi
4.17 % and reactive & reparative were 12.82 %. Taenia was the most common
lesions encountered (20.51 %) followed by keloid (12.5 %). Impetigo and
seborrheic dermatitis shared same number of cases (9.4 %). Neoplastic lesions
were the least common.
CONCLUSIONS
With some awareness and basic knowledge, many of the cutaneous lesions of
external ear can be diagnosed and treated whenever patients report to a clinician,
thus saving valuable time, effort and money of the patient.
