Ear Infection: Symptoms, Causes, and Remedies - South Florida Caribbean News

Bacterial or viral infections can happen in your middle ear, which is a part of your ear located behind the eardrum. These can cause inflammation, fluid buildup, and pain. Moreover, ear infections are also known as secretory otitis media, serous otitis media, glue ear, or middle ear infections.

One of the most common reasons why children visit the doctor is due to an ear infection. About 75% of children are believed to have at least one ear infection before reaching 3. Moreover, it mostly happens in young boys rather than girls.

Knowing What An Ear Infection Is

The middle ear is located behind your eardrum. It is an air-filled space that contains vibrating bones that can convert sound into signals for your brain. You have an ear infection if a bacterial or viral infection occurs in your middle ear.

Ear infection causes the buildup of fluid as well as inflammation within the internal spaces of your ear. This tends to be painful because the fluid buildup and inflammation increase the pressure on your eardrum. Furthermore, ear infections can either be chronic or acute.

Chronic ear infections can either recur multiple times or don't clear up. It can also cause some permanent damage to your inner and middle ear. On the other hand, acute ear infections can bring you so much pain but tend to be short in duration.

Types of Ear Infections

The following are the three types of ear infections you should know about:

Acute Otitis Media (AOM)

Acute otitis media is considered to be the least serious and the most common form of ear infection. When you have AOM, your middle ear is expected to become swollen and infected with fluid trapped behind your eardrum. Moreover, fever might also occur.

Otitis Media with Effusion (OME)

You might think that your ear infection is gone, but there is still a chance that there are still some fluids left behind your eardrum. If you have OME, you might not experience any symptoms. However, your doctor will be able to notice the remaining fluid.

Chronic Otitis Media with Effusion (COME)

This type of ear infection pertains to the fluid that is repeatedly returning to your middle ear. This can happen with or without any infection present. Furthermore, COME leads to a lessened ability to fight off other forms of infections and can negatively affect your hearing ability.

Symptoms

Below are common symptoms of having ear infections:

• Discomfort or mild pain inside your ear;
• Having a feeling of pressure inside your ear;
• Pus-like ear drainage;
• Hearing loss;
• Fussiness (young infants).

These symptoms might come and go. It can either be felt in one or both of your ears. Moreover, pain tends to be more severe if both ears have an infection.

It is vital to know that chronic ear infection symptoms might be less noticeable than acute ear infections. If you have a child younger than six months that has an ear infection or fever, it is best to consult a doctor as soon as possible. Consider going to the doctor when your child has severe ear pain or fever higher than 39 degrees Celsius.

Causes

Most of the time, an ear infection starts with flu, cold, or allergic response. These will increase mucus in your sinuses and can even lead to the slow clearance of fluid by your eustachian tubes. Furthermore, the initial illness will inflame your nasal passages, eustachian tubes, and throat.

The role of eustachian tubes

The eustachian tubes connect your middle ear to the back of your throat. The ends of the tubes can open and close in order to regulate air pressure in your middle ear, drain normal secretions, and resupply air to this area.

A respiratory allergy or infection can block your eustachian tubes, which causes a buildup of the fluids in your middle ear. Infection can happen if this fluid becomes infected with bacteria.

When it comes to young children, their eustachian tubes are more horizontal and smaller than older children and adults. This means that the tubes will most likely collect fluid than drain away, increasing the risk of an ear infection.

The role of adenoids

Adenoids are the pad tissue located behind your nasal cavity. They often react to viruses and bacteria passing by and play a huge role in your immune system activity. Adenoids can often trap bacteria. However, this can sometimes lead to inflammation and infection of the middle ear and eustachian tubes.

Remedies

In some cases, your doctor might use antibiotics or antiviral medication as an ear infection treatment. However, they will often treat only the symptoms of ear infection and not the infection itself.

You may take benzodiazepines or antihistamines to treat vertigo caused by an ear infection. Antihistamines may also help ease dizziness or nausea. In addition, you can use over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines, which include diphenhydramine, loratadine, and fexofenadine.

To Wrap It Up

An ear infection can occur in your middle ear. It can either be acute or chronic and can cause discomfort and pain. Either way, if you experience some symptoms, it is best to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

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