title: Red ear syndrome: literature review and a pediatric case report.
abstract: Red ear syndrome (RES) is characterized by recurrent unilateral or bilateral painful attacks of the external ear, accompanied by ear redness, burning, or warmth. Proposed etiologies of this rare condition include dysregulation of sympathetic outflow, upper cervical pathology, glossopharyngeal and trigeminal neuralgia, TMJ dysfunction, thalamic syndrome, and primary headache syndromes. Idiopathic cases also exist in the literature. Pediatric cases are particularly rare and more commonly associated with migraine. Given the various potential etiologies, no single treatment is effective in all cases. This paper summarizes the current understanding and management of RES, and describes a case of idiopathic pediatric RES.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5. Electronic address: misha.moitri@medportal.ca.
authors.forename: Misha O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Moitri
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5.
authors.forename: Sarfaraz M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Banglawala
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Archibald
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D004431:Ear, External; D004890:Erythema / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D035583:Rare Diseases; D013577:Syndrome
keywords: Auricle; Erythema; Management; Red ear syndrome