How Long Does A Middle Ear Infection Last

What Are The Symptoms Of A Middle

Common symptoms of a middle-ear infection in adults are:

• Pain in 1 or both ears

• Drainage from the ear

• Sore throat

You may also have a fever. Rarely, your balance can be affected.

These symptoms may be the same as for other conditions. Its important totalk with your health care provider if you think you have a middle-earinfection. If you have a high fever, severe pain behind your ear, orparalysis in your face, see your provider as soon as you can.

Do I Still Need To Follow Up With My Doctor Even If My Child Seems Fine

Yes, because the fluid may still be there and could later cause problems. Fluid that lasts a long time can damage the ear and require surgery. Also, young children often do not express themselves well, even when struggling with hearing problems or other issues related to the fluid. The best way to prevent problems is to see the doctor every three to six months until the fluid goes away.

Why Do You Have An Allergic Reaction

When a foreign substance, such as pollen. causes hypersensitivity, your immune system responds by producing antibodies that release histamine. Histamines cause itching, mucus and sometimes swelling. Allergies can occur year-round, but for many people pollen and grass allergies are more likely to occur in the spring or fall.

Also Check: Im Sorry In Sign Language

What Can I Do About My Symptoms

• Donât move too quickly you might lose your balance.
• Remove tripping hazards like area rugs and electrical cords. Put non-slip mats in your bath and shower.
• If you start to feel dizzy, lie down right away. People with vertigo often feel better if they lie down in a quiet, darkened room with their eyes closed.
• Drink lots of fluids and eat well. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, salt, and tobacco.
• If you think your meds are making you feel dizzy, talk to your doctor. They may change your dose, have you stop using them, or try something else.
• Donât drive if you have dizzy spells.

How Can I Help My Child Hear Better

Stand or sit close to your child when you speak and be sure to let them see your face. Speak very clearly, and if your child does not understand something, repeat it. Hearing difficulties can be frustrating for your child, so be patient and understanding. See Table 11 in the full guideline for specific strategies.

Read Also: How To Pair Widex Hearing Aids To Iphone

Otitis Media In Adults

Otitis media is another name for a middle ear infection. It means an infection behind your eardrum. This kind of ear infection can happen after any condition that keeps fluid from draining from the middle ear. These conditions include allergies, a cold, a sore throat, or a respiratory infection.

Middle ear infections are common in children, but they can also happen in adults. An ear infection in an adult may mean a more serious problem than in a child. So you may need additional tests. If you have an ear infection, you should see your healthcare provider for treatment. If they happen repeatedly, you should see an otolaryngologist or an otologist .

What are the types of middle ear infections?

Infections can affect the middle ear in several ways. They are:

Who is more likely to get a middle ear infection?

You are more likely to get an ear infection if you:

• Smoke or are around someone who smokes
• Have seasonal or year-round allergy symptoms
• Have a cold or other upper respiratory infection

What causes a middle ear infection?

The middle ear connects to the throat by a canal called the eustachian tube. This tube helps even out the pressure between the outer ear and the inner ear. A cold or allergy can irritate the tube or cause the area around it to swell. This can keep fluid from draining from the middle ear. The fluid builds up behind the eardrum. Bacteria and viruses can grow in this fluid. The bacteria and viruses cause the middle ear infection.

Can An Inner Ear Infection Cause Vertigo

If your inner ear has an infection, it could cause the message-relaying system between the ears and the brain to work improperly. If the brain cannot adequately match information traveling from the normal ear nerves to the infected ones, that can cause vertigo.

An inner ear infection is not the only situation in which vertigo can occur. Additionally, there are two types of vertigo:

• Peripheral vertigo. Peripheral vertigo is the type of vertigo that occurs with inner ear infections.
• Central vertigo. Central vertigo is due to some type of medical issue with the brain. This can include an infection, stroke, tumor, or traumatic brain injury.

Don’t Miss: Ringing In Your Ear Meaning Spiritual

What Is A Middle

The middle ear is the space behind the eardrum, which is connected to the back of the throat by a passageway called the Eustachian tube. Middle ear infections, also called otitis media, can occur when congestion from an allergy or cold blocks the Eustachian tube. Fluid and pressure build up, so bacteria or viruses that have traveled up the Eustachian tube into the middle ear can multiply and cause an ear infection.

Middle ear infections are the most common illness that brings children to a pediatrician and the most common cause of hearing loss in children. Middle ear infections can also cause a hole in the eardrum or spread to nearby areas, such as the mastoid bone. Adults also can get middle ear infections.

Children in day care have an increased risk of middle ear infections. The increased exposure to other infected children increases your child’s chances of getting infected.

Can Tinnitus Be Prevented

Repeated loud noise exposure can be a cause of tinnitus as well as hearing loss. Loud music may cause short term symptoms, but repeated occupational exposure requires less intense sound levels to cause potential hearing damage leading to tinnitus. Minimizing sound exposure, therefore, decreases the risk of developing tinnitus. Sound protection equipment, like acoustic ear-muffs, may be appropriate at work and at home when exposed to loud noises.

A variety of medications may be ototoxic and cause tinnitus. If tinnitus develops while you are taking a medication, stop the medication and discuss other options with your health-care professional.

Also Check: How To Connect Phonak Hearing Aids To Iphone

How Long Do Ear Infections Last

The most common type of middle ear infection can last anywhere from a week to two weeks, with proper treatment. Bacterial ear infections treated with antibiotics typically improve in a matter of days. Inner ear infection typically last longer. Ear infections are considered chronic when they last over six weeks. Read more about how long ear infections last here.

How Does A Doctor Diagnose A Middle Ear Infection

The first thing a doctor will do is ask you about your childs health. Has your child had a head cold or sore throat recently? Is he having trouble sleeping? Is she pulling at her ears? If an ear infection seems likely, the simplest way for a doctor to tell is to use a lighted instrument, called an otoscope, to look at the eardrum. A red, bulging eardrum indicates an infection.

A doctor also may use a pneumatic otoscope, which blows a puff of air into the ear canal, to check for fluid behind the eardrum. A normal eardrum will move back and forth more easily than an eardrum with fluid behind it.

Tympanometry, which uses sound tones and air pressure, is a diagnostic test a doctor might use if the diagnosis still isnt clear. A tympanometer is a small, soft plug that contains a tiny microphone and speaker as well as a device that varies air pressure in the ear. It measures how flexible the eardrum is at different pressures.

Recommended Reading: How To Do The Abc’s In Sign Language

Fluid In The Ear And Allergies

The most common ear problem seen in patients with allergies is fluid in the ear or middle ear effusion. Allergic reactions have been proposed as being responsible for some cases of hearing loss and fluid in the middle portion of the ear.

Most of the middle ear effusions occur under two years of age and the incidence continues to decrease by the age of ten years. There seems to be an increased incidence during the winter and spring months, apparently related to an increase in respiratory tract infections.

The fluid in the middle ear may be clear and watery this is usually seen following respiratory infections and flare up of allergic nasal congestion. In glue ear, the effusion consists of thick and cloudy fluid. These gluey secretions are more prone to recurrent infections if they persist on a long term basis.

Children with fluid in the ear often complain of being stopped up or having popping ears. The older child and young adult may complain of having a hearing loss and of a feeling of fullness in the ear. The fluid in the middle ear is the most prevalent cause of hearing loss in school age children. These children are often described by teachers and parents as being inattentive, loud talkers, and slow learners. When middle ear effusion is present for a long period of time, there may be a delay in language development and learning resulting in poor school performance. Some of the children are prone to frequent ear infections with high fever and earaches.

What Is An Inner Ear Infection

Inner ear infections are common. They can occur in both children and adults. You may notice them in the outer, middle, or inner ear.

You may also sometimes experience dizziness and vertigo.

Because inner ear infections and vertigo often coincide, you may be wondering, “Can an inner ear infection cause vertigo?” You may also be wondering how long the dizziness will last.

If so, continue reading to find out and to learn more about both ear infections and vertigo.

The innermost part of the ear houses the labyrinth. This is a group of fluid-filled tubes and sacs. In this area of the ear, information about spatial changes and the motion of your body and surroundings is processed. When information is processed in the inner ear and sent to your brain, it helps you to keep your balance.

If an infection occurs in any part of your inner ear, irritation can occur and lead to inflammation. The inner ear system, including the labyrinth, may not work properly in this state, and it is possible some hearing can be lost.

Since the labyrinth is usually the part of the ear inflamed and infected during an inner ear infection, the medical term used is referred to as labyrinthitis.

When you have labyrinthitis, the eighth cranial nerve known as the vestibulocochlear nerve can also become inflamed. Inner ear inflammation can cause hearing loss and make it feel as if you are spinning. Symptoms of inflammation of this type usually will go away on their own over time, though.

You May Like: How To Say Im Hungry In Sign Language

How Is Otitis Media With Effusion Diagnosed

If you think your child may have otitis media with effusion, make an appointment your childs doctor. He or she will look in your childs ears. They will look at the eardrum for signs that there may be fluid behind it. They may order a test called tympanometry. It can diagnose otitis media with effusion. It can also help tell the amount and thickness of the fluid that is trapped. They may also want to do a hearing test on your child.

Home Remedies For An Ear Infection

If you or your child has a typical ear infection without severe symptoms, you might try some of these home remedies:

• Pain relievers. A dose of over-the-counter medication such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can reduce the pain and fever.
• Compresses. Whether you prefer a warm compress or an ice pack, this method is safe for children and adults. You can even alternate them if doing so helps you feel better.
• A change in sleeping position. Try putting extra pillows under your head to help your ear drain when you go to sleep at night.
• Distraction. If your child is really fussy, try a distraction technique to take their mind off their painful ear. A favorite toy, snack, or game might do the trick.

Also Check: When To Start Baby Signs

What Are The Symptoms Of Otitis Media

Symptoms of ear infection include:

• Ear pain: This symptom is obvious in older children and adults. In infants too young to speak, look for signs of pain like rubbing or tugging ears, crying more than usual, trouble sleeping, acting fussy/irritable.
• Loss of appetite: This may be most noticeable in young children, especially during bottle feedings. Pressure in the middle ear changes as the child swallows, causing more pain and less desire to eat.
• Irritability: Any kind of continuing pain may cause irritability.
• Poor sleep: Pain may be worse when the child is lying down because the pressure in the ear may worsen.
• Fever: Ear infections can cause temperatures from 100° F up to 104° F. Some 50% of children will have a fever with their ear infection.
• Drainage from the ear: Yellow, brown, or white fluid that is not earwax may seep from the ear. This may mean that the eardrum has ruptured .
• Trouble hearing: Bones of the middle ear connect to the nerves that send electrical signals to the brain. Fluid behind the eardrums slows down movement of these electrical signals through the inner ear bones.

When Should I Return To My Healthcare Provider For A Follow

Your healthcare provider will let you know when you need to return for a follow-up visit. At that visit, you or your childs eardrum will be examined to be certain that the infection is going away. Your healthcare provider may also want to test you or your child’s hearing.

Follow-up exams are very important, especially if the infection has caused a hole in the eardrum.

Read Also: What Does Ringing Ears Mean Spiritually

How Long Does Fluid In The Ear Last In Adults

fluidhasearlast

In this manner, what causes fluid in the inner ear in adults?

Common causes for developing fluid in the ear for both adults and children include:

• Allergies1?
• Any kind of congestion, from a cold virus, similar infection, or even pregnancy.
• Enlarged sinus tissue, nasal polyps, tonsils, and adenoids, or other growths which block the auditory tube

Likewise, will fluid behind eardrum go away on its own? The middle ear is the space behind the eardrum. Otitis media with effusion means there is fluid in the middle ear, without an infection. Fluid in the middle ear can have few symptoms, especially if it develops slowly. It almost always goes away on its own in a few weeks to a few months.

Also to know, how do you get rid of fluid in your ear?

If water does get trapped in your ear, you can try several at-home remedies for relief:

What causes fluid in the ear but no infection?

Earaches can happen without an infection. This occurs when air and fluid build up behind the eardrum causing a feeling of fullness and discomfort and reduced hearing. This is called otitis media with effusion or serous otitis media. It means there is fluid in the middle ear.

Get Ear Infection Treatment

With our same day ear infection treatment service you can meet with a top online doctor, get diagnosed and receive the treatment you need. Our doctors can determine if youve got an ear infection and what kind. If you have a bacterial ear infection that is safe to treat online a doctor can prescribe antibiotics.

Ear infection treatment varies depending on the type of infection. Some treatment options involve pain management such as Tylenol while others require prescription antibiotics. Speak to a doctor to get an official diagnosis and treatment plan.

You May Like: Sign Language Angel

Where Is The Middle Ear

The middle ear is behind the eardrum and is also home to the delicate bones that aid in hearing. These bones are the hammer , anvil and stirrup . To provide the bigger picture, lets look at the whole structure and function of the ear:

The ear structure and function

There are three main parts of the ear: outer, middle and inner.

• The outer ear is the outside external ear flap and the ear canal .
• The middle ear is the air-filled space between the eardrum and the inner ear. The middle ear houses the delicate bones that transmit sound vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. This is where ear infections occur.
• The inner ear contains the snail-shaped labyrinth that converts sound vibrations received from the middle ear to electrical signals. The auditory nerve carries these signals to the brain.

Other nearby parts

• The eustachian tube regulates air pressure within the middle ear, connecting it to the upper part of the throat.
• Adenoids are small pads of tissue above the throat and behind the nose and near the eustachian tubes. Adenoids help fight infection caused by bacteria that enters through the mouth.

How Long Does Ear Infection Last Without Antibiotics

Antibiotics are strong medications that are used to kill bacteria that cause ear infections. However, in most cases of ear infections, antibiotics are not required. If a person suffers from a mild case of ear infection, the length an ear infection lasts without any antibiotics is 2- 3 days. All symptoms mostly disappear after 4-5 days. Although ear infection is self-treatable, if the pain is severe, its better to seek medical help. Also, check out which type of ear infection you are suffering from, and the exact duration of the type of ear infection.

Related: Can Almond Milk Cause Constipation

Read Also: Im Hungry In Sign Language