Otitis Media (Inflammation of the Middle Ear)

Stabbing and throbbing pain in the ear, usually after a previous cold – such symptoms speak for an acute middle ear infection, especially in younger children. Often home remedies help to relieve the ear pain and shorten the duration of the middle ear infection. Risk factors for middle ear infection include cigarette smoke or anatomical features.

Development and forms of middle ear infection

Acute otitis media is predominantly caused by cold viruses. They migrate through the connecting passage (Eustach tube) from the pharynx and cause inflammation in the mucous membrane of the middle ear. Only if the eardrum has a hole can germs also enter from the outside through the ear canal; rarely, migration occurs via the bloodstream. In about 10 percent of cases, bacteria such as pneumococcus or hemophilus are involved in middle ear inflammation.

Sometimes middle ear infections in children constantly recur or do not heal properly. Such chronic otitis media is repeatedly accompanied by accumulation of pus in the middle ear, which often drains through the – eventually ruptured – eardrum.

Middle ear infection: causes and risk factors.

Why some children repeatedly get middle ear infections, while others rarely do, is not well understood. Breastfeeding for the first three months of life seems to protect against middle ear infections. Suspected risk factors and causes of middle ear infection are:

  • Much contact with other children (siblings, daycare) and thereby with pathogens.
  • Constant sucking on the pacifier
  • Cigarette smoke indoors
  • Pollutants in the outdoor air
  • Anatomical features, such as cleft palate or large pharyngeal tonsils.
  • Possibly allergies and the reflux of gastric acid into the throat.

Otitis media: symptoms and signs

Due to the inflammation, the mucous membrane in the middle ear forms increased secretion (tympanic effusion). As a result, the connecting passage to the pharynx, which is still very narrow in children, swells. The secretion cannot drain away and presses against the eardrum from the inside. This causes the severe ear pain that is one of the typical symptoms of a middle ear infection. Usually, only one ear is affected by a middle ear infection and its symptoms.

The acute pain lasts from a few hours to three days. However, the tympanic effusion can persist for up to a month and cause temporary hearing loss. If the pressure is too strong, the eardrum may rupture and the secretion may drain. This causes the pain to abruptly subside. The rupture usually heals on its own within about two weeks.

In a young child, the symptoms of otitis mediacough, cold, earache, possibly fever – are often not as clear. Instead, it may have tummy aches and diarrhea. Babies are restless, don’t cry or eat, and sometimes constantly grab the affected ear.