Ear Infection

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An ear infection occurs when a bacterial or viral infection affects the middle ear—the sections of your ear just behind the eardrum. Ear infections can be painful because of inflammation and fluid build up in the middle ear.

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The symptons are:

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• ear pain (mild to severe) - babies often pull or tug at their ears when they have an earache. 

• fever

• drainage from the ear that is thick and yellow or bloody - this means the eardrum has probably burst (ruptured). The hole in the eardrum often heals by itself in a few weeks.

• loss of appetite, vomiting, and grumpy behavior.

• trouble sleeping

 

The causes include:

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• allergies

• colds

• sinus infections

• excess mucus

• tobacco smoking

• infected or swollen adenoids (tissue near your tonsils that trap harmful bacteria and viruses)

 

Because ear infections often clear up on their own, treatment may begin with managing pain and monitoring the problem. Ear infection in infants and severe cases in general often require antibiotic medications.