Overview
An ear infection, also called acute otitis media, is a sudden infection in your middle ear. The middle ear is the air-filled space between your eardrum and inner ear. It houses the delicate bones that transmit sound vibrations from your eardrum to your inner ear so you can hear.
Eustachian tubes are canals that connect your middle ear to the back of your throat. They regulate air pressure in your ear and prevent fluid from accumulating in your middle ear space.
If a eustachian tube doesn’t function well, fluid has a hard time draining from your middle ear space and can cause muffled hearing. Ear infections (from viruses and bacteria) also cause middle ear fluid. In these cases, the middle ear fluid is infected and often causes discomfort in addition to muffled hearing.
How common are ear infections?
Middle ear infections are the most common childhood illness other than colds. Ear infections occur most often in children between 6 months and 2 years. They’re common until age 8.
Older children and adults can get ear infections, too, but they don’t happen nearly as often as in young children.
Why are children more likely to get ear infections than adults?
Children get ear infections more often than adults because:
- Their eustachian tubes don’t function as well as adults, and this encourages fluid to gather behind the eardrum.
- Their immune system, the body’s infection-fighting system, is still developing.
- They’re more likely to catch illnesses from other children.
Symptoms
When to see a doctor
Complications
- High blood pressure.
- Diabetes.
- Heart failure.
- Some types of heart valve disease.
Prevention
- Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
- Don't smoke or use tobacco.
- Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
- Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
- Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Reduce and manage stress.
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