Commonly seen in children, ear infections – also known as otitis media – can also affect adults.

Symptoms of Chronic Ear Infections

As most people can tell you, ear infections are no fun. Ear infections are common and quite uncomfortable. If you are experiencing an earache and think it may be an ear infection, check your symptoms against this list.

Symptoms of chronic ear infections in adults include:

• Earache – a sharp, sudden pain or a dull, continuous pain
• Warm drainage from the ear canal
• A feeling that one’s ear is clogged or full
• Nausea
• Muffled hearing

Symptoms of chronic ear infections in children include:

• Tugging at the ear
• Sleeping poorly
• Fever
• Ear drainage
• Being irritable, restless, or crying while lying down

What distinguishes an ear infection as being acute or chronic is the number of times one experiences the symptoms. If this is your first time experiencing these symptoms, you likely have an acute ear infection. If you have these symptoms multiple times per year or if your symptoms last for weeks on end, you are likely experiencing chronic ear infections.

Causes of Chronic Ear Infections

The ear canal is a part of your sinuses. When your ears are healthy and working properly, air is allowed to flow freely from behind your nose and through the Eustachian tube, which keeps the middle ear clean and dry. When the Eustachian tube is blocked, moisture can become trapped in the middle ear and cause bacteria to collect. This leads to a most unpleasant ear infection.

Ear infections become chronic when moisture repeatedly gets trapped in the middle ear. This is most common in adults and children who swim frequently or have persistent allergies.

What Can I Do?

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, visit your doctor. He or she will likely take a look inside your ears. If the middle ear is red and inflamed, your doctor will likely diagnose you with an ear infection.

Ear infections are caused by either bacteria or a virus. If the cause is bacterial, your doctor may prescribe you with antibiotics. However, if the cause is viral, your only option is to treat the symptoms of your ear infection as there is no cure against viruses.

To ease the discomfort of an ear infection, you can:

• Take acetaminophen or ibuprofen to reduce fever
• Apply gentler heat from a heating pad to reduce pain
• Do something to help you relax or take your mind off of the pain such as lighting a candle and resting your eyes, or reading

To prevent another ear infection from happening, be sure to have good personal hygiene habits such as washing your hands. Stopping the spread of bacteria and viruses will go a long way to reducing your risk of getting another ear infection. Talk to your doctor about any ideas he or she might have that are tailored to your specific situation such as wearing ear plugs while swimming.

Ear infections in children, especially young children usually in the pre-elementary school age, is a common problem and many parents wonder why it affects their children, will it hurt their child’s hearing, and what can be done to help it resolve.

Ear infections in children can start at any age but are usually uncommon under the age of 6 months. Common symptoms in young children are fussiness, poor sleep, low grade fevers, runny nose and pulling or tugging at the ears. Drainage from the ears is not common in this age range.

Why causes ear infections in children?

Although the cause of ear infections in young children can be multifactorial the most common cause is poor functioning of the Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tube equalizes pressure in the ear. When you feel your ear pop in an elevator this is the Eustachian tube at work. In some small children the anatomy of the Eustachian tube does not equalize pressure efficiently.

If the Eustachian tube fails to equalize pressure fluid will build up in the ear. If the fluid stays long enough it can become infected with both viruses and bacteria. Although treatment with antibiotics and some other medications can eradicate some bacterial infections, fluid buildup due to allergies and infections due to viruses will persist. Repeat ear infections in children may occur if the fluid does not resolve.

Children who attend day care regularly are more at risk for repeat infections because their exposure to viruses and bacteria is increased. Children with bad nasal allergies are also at increased risk for repetitive ear infections.

Do ear infections in children affect hearing and speech?

The simple answer is yes. When fluid builds up in the ear a conductive hearing loss occurs. Basically this means that the ear does not transmit the entire spectrum of sound to the brain. Children develop speech based upon hearing spoken words and repeating what they have heard.

The fortunate thing is conductive hearing loss is reversible with appropriate recognition and treatment. Very infrequently does a permanent hearing loss occur when ear infections are diagnosed and treated appropriately.

How do ear tubes work?

It’s a common misperception that the purpose of ear tubes is to allow the ears to drain. Ear, Nose and Throat doctors place ear tubes to allow the pressure in the ear to equalize so that fluid will quit building up in the ear. If the fluid quits accumulating the sequence of repetitive infections can be broken.

What are the indications for ear tubes?

Common indications are the following:

• Repetitive ear infections
• Fevers associated with ear infections
• Need for a parent or care giver to repeatedly miss work to attend to a sick child with an ear infection
• Multiple trips to the doctor for diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics
• Complications from antibiotics including rashes, diarrhea, yeast infections, and inability of your child to take an antibiotic
• Allergies to antibiotics
• Expense of multiple antibiotics
• Possibility of developing antibiotic resistant bacteria
• Conductive hearing loss with evidence of speech delay

Does my child need surgery to have ear tubes placed?

Yes, ear tubes are performed in an operating room with the benefit of anesthesia. It is a very short operation, usually less than 5 minutes.

Will my child’s hearing improve after ear tubes are placed?

If the hearing loss is only a conductive loss then yes, the hearing will improve after ear tube surgery

If you have questions about your child, please call our office to set-up a consultation at one of our three convenient locations.

More Information on Ear Infections in Children

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/earinfections.aspx