A small tube (eustachian tube) connects your ear to your throat. Middle ear infections are caused by bacteria and viruses. They're the most common kind of ear infection in children. Ear infections happen mostly to young children. The area can get infected when germs from the nose and throat are trapped there. Removing the adenoids may help prevent ear infections.Condition Basics What is an ear infection (otitis media)?Īn ear infection is an infection of the middle ear, the area behind the eardrum. ![]() When they become swollen, they can block the eustachian tubes and prevent them from draining. The adenoids are pads of lymph tissue in the soft roof of the mouth. Your child’s surgeon may also recommend removing the adenoids if they are also infected. The tubes usually fall out on their own after six to 12 months. Your child's hearing should return to normal after the fluid is drained. Ear tubes may also be called tympanostomy tubes, myringotomy tubes or ventilation tubes. These tubes allow air to flow in and out of the middle ear, which prevents the development of negative pressure as well as fluid build-up. Ear tubes are tiny cylinders, usually made of plastic and sometimes metal, that are surgically inserted into your child’s eardrum. If fluid remains in the ear for longer than three months, your child's physician may suggest placing small tubes in the ear. Antibiotic medication by mouth or ear drops.Whether the infection is likely to clear up on its own.Your child's tolerance for specific medications, procedures or therapies.Your child's age, overall health and medical history.Your child’s physician will consider the following when determining how best to treat the ear infection: Drinks from a bottle while laying on his or her back.Is bottle-fed instead of breastfed or pacifier use.Is around someone who smokes/air pollution.While anyone may develop an ear infection, a child is more likely to get one if he or she: Also, young children have weaker immune systems, making it harder for them to fight off infection. This makes it easier for bacteria to get in and more difficult for fluid to drain. ![]() Young children are more likely than adults to get ear infections because their eustachian tubes are shorter, narrower and horizontal. Bacteria and viruses can grow when fluid becomes trapped inside. A cold or allergy can cause the lining of the nose, throat and eustachian tube to swell and become congested. The Eustachian tube keeps air pressure from building up and drains fluid from the middle ear. The middle ear can become infected when the narrow tube (called the Eustachian tube) that connects it to the back of the nose stops working properly. As a result, your child may have hearing loss and difficulty fighting new infections. Chronic otitis media with effusion (COME): With this condition, the infection clears up, but fluid either stays in the middle ear or returns again and again.Your child may experience a feeling of fullness in the ear and hearing loss. Otitis media with effusion (OME): The infection subsides, but fluid (effusion) and mucus continue to collect in the middle ear.Fluid and mucus are trapped inside, causing fever, ear pain and hearing loss. Acute otitis media (AOM): This type of ear infection comes on relatively suddenly.There are several types of middle ear infection: More than 80 percent of children have at least one ear infection by the age of 3. ![]() ![]() Middle ear infections can affect adults, but they are much more common in children. When the middle ear becomes infected, that space fills with fluid, which presses against the eardrum. A middle ear infection is an inflammation in the air-filled space behind the eardrum.
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