Woman Complains Of Ringing In Ears; Doctors Find Spider Inside

A 64-year-old woman in Taiwan, who sought medical attention at a clinic due to hearing "unusual noises" in her left ear, received a surprise when doctors found a spider in her ear canal.

As reported by NBC News, having faced sleep disturbances over multiple nights, the Taiwanese woman decided to consult an ear, nose, and throat clinic. During her visit, medical professionals identified a tiny spider actively moving inside her ear canal. Notably, the spider had shed its exoskeleton, which was found nearby.

A woman with hypertension presented to the clinic with a 4-day history of abnormal sounds in her ear. On examination, a small spider was seen moving within the external auditory canal of the left ear. The molted exoskeleton of the spider was also present. https://t.co/dye2sbbiL9 pic.twitter.com/SfeNBBGQS8

— NEJM (@NEJM) October 25, 2023

In April, medical professionals utilised a tube to vacuum out both the spider and its discarded exoskeleton.

Following the incident, Dr. Tengchin Wang, who heads the otolaryngology department at Tainan Municipal Hospital, authored a report on the case. This report was subsequently published on October 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

What's In The Report?

Dr Wang reportedly wrote the report due to the unique nature of the case. While he had previously encountered instances of ants, moths, cockroaches, and mosquitoes found inside people's ears, this was the first time he had encountered an insect that shed its exoskeleton within an ear canal.

He further mentioned that the woman did not experience any discomfort, as the spider was of very small size, measuring approximately two to three millimetres.

In the report, Dr Wang suggested the use of lidocaine or ethanol to immobilize larger insects, preventing them from causing further movement and harm within the ear. However, it's important to note that this approach should be avoided if there is a perforation in the eardrum. Identifying an eardrum perforation may be challenging for individuals to ascertain independently.

Not So Uncommon

In June of this year, the Hindustan Times reported a video where a spider is seen crawling out of a woman's ear. 

A video shared on the Instagram page @todayyearsold, depicts a spider emerging from the woman's ear. The video commences with someone cautiously introducing a liquid into the woman's ear. After which, a spider promptly starts to emerge from her ear.

In another incident from April of this year, as shared by NDTV, a woman reported experiencing tinnitus (a ringing sound) and ear pain. During an endoscopy, the doctor identified a spider inside the woman's ear. Thankfully, the spider was non-venomous, and the woman sustained only minor injuries to her ear canal.

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