BULLOUS MYRINGITIS WITH SENSORINEURAL HEARING-LOSS

Bullous myringitis is a relatively common disease manifested by moderately severe otalgia associated with vesicles on the tympanic membrane and medial external auditory canal wall. After the vesicles rupture, a serous or serosanguinous otorrhea may ensue, and a serous middle ear effusion is sometimes present. This disease occurs mainly in young adults, most commonly in the winter months, and is usually preceded or accompanied by an upper respiratory infection. Occasionally, a sensorineural hearing loss accompanies bullous myringitis; fortunately, hearing usually returns to its original level in a few weeks. Acute and convalescent antibody titers for Mycoplasma pneumoniae, influenza viruses A and B, and adenovirus showed no evidence of infection by those organisms in a study of ten patients.