Middle Ear Infection in Adults

When it comes to kids, middle ear infection is the most common ailment after common cold. However, some adults also suffer from it from time to time. Clinically known as otitis media, it is caused when a virus or bacteria infects the middle ear; an area that lies behind the eardrum, and contains the tiny vibrating bones of the ear. As it has been observed in many cases, this infection often follows a common cold. Also the infection could be an acute one, a recurring or a chronic one. The acute form refers to a sudden onset of the infection, but with a shorter duration. The recurring form, as the name suggests, means that the infection keeps coming back even post treatment. And speaking about the chronic middle ear infection, it gives a persistent feeling of something filling the ear.

What Indicates a Middle Ear Infection?

Symptoms indicative of an infection in the middle ear may include:

• Pain that originates from the ear
• Hearing may be affected to a point where the person is not able to hear anything
• Fluid discharge (thick, yellow fluid) from the ear
• Sore throat

Causes

The ear is connected to the throat with the help of a pair of narrow tubes known as Eustachian tubes. Now, as I have mentioned in the above segment, often, the infection follows a common cold, and in some cases, a flu or allergy. One of these conditions may causes these tubes to swell and get congested. And with time, this swelling becomes so intense that the tubes get completely blocked. And this blockage traps the fluid inside the middle ear. This malfunction creates a perfect environment for pathogens to grow and multiply, thus, causing an infection, and the symptoms associated with it. The reason middle ear infection is more common in children is the narrower size and more horizontal position of their Eustachian tubes. While in adults, it is the opposite.

Treatment

The good news is, most cases of middle ear infection, especially in adults, do not require any sort of treatment, as the infection does not last more than a few days. Most people have experienced an improvement of symptoms within the first couple of days. If you are healthy, then experts would usually recommend you to go for a wait-and-watch approach for about 3 days. And even if the symptoms do not improve post this period, then treatment with antibiotics might be necessary. But there are a few methods using which, the severity of the symptoms can be reduced.

One helpful method to decreases the pain is applying warm compresses to the bad ear. This can be done using a washcloth dipped in warm water. Alternatively, placing the cloth against a heating source and applying it to the aching ear also helps. Over the counter medications can also help. But their use has to be thoughtful in case of kids. Prescribed ear drops are also a good choice that significantly alleviates the pain. When it comes to the treatment of the chronic form of this condition, antibiotics are used.

Middle ear infection can be easily prevented by follow proper personal hygiene and avoiding infections like common cold, etc. Equally important is to avoid smoking, especially passive smoking.