How to Treat an Ear Infection - Ear Infection Causes, Symptoms, Treatment at Home - Prevention.com
Ear infections are common in kids, but it can be jarring when you suddenly develop one as an adult. After all, they can be really uncomfortable, and it's probably been a minute since you've had one. But while ear infections are lumped into one group, there are actually different areas of your ear that can get infected and even a variety of causes that could be behind your earache. If you happen to develop an ear infection, don't panic—there are a few things you can do to get relief. First, what is an ear infection? At a very basic level, an ear infection is an infection in some part of your ear. A middle ear infection is an infection of your middle ear (the air-filled space behind your eardrum), while an infection of your outer ear canal is usually called swimmer's ear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). What causes ear infections? It depends. An ear infection can be caused by bacteria or a virus. If you have a bacterial ear infection, i...