Otitis Media - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Otitis media is an infection or inflammation of the middle ear. Although this condition is a frequent cause of infant distress and is often associated with children, it can also affect adults. In fact, ear infections are the most common illnesses in babies and young children. This mucus can sometimes get infected with bacteria and this is called an ear infection. Fluid in the ear, without signs of infection or inflammation, is usually called otitis media with effusion or serous otitis media.

Otitis media is a build up of fluid in the middle ear, the space between the eardrum and the inner ear.Otitis media can affect people from any age group, but most commonly affects infants and young children and is considered one of the most common diseases of childhood. This is because the middle ear is connected to the upper respiratory tract by a tiny channel known as a eustachian tube. The presence of middle ear fluid and redness or inflammation of the ear drum is usually referred to as acute otitis media, is typically due to bacterial infection, and is usually treated with antibiotics.

Causes of Otitis Media

There are various factors which give rise to the disease Otitis Media, but here we mentioned some of the common causes:

• Less common causes are other bacteria, Mycoplasma species, and viruses.
• Sterile effusions occur in approximately 20% of cases studied.

Symptoms of Otitis Media

Some of the common sign and symptoms of the disease Otitis Media are as follows:

• Drainage from the ear.
• Heaing loss.
• Ear noise or buzzing.
• Fever.
• Chills.
• Irritability.
• Malaise (feeling of general illness).
• Nausea , vomiting .
• Diarrhea.

Treatment of Otitis Media

Find effective treatment methods of treating Otitis Media :

• Treatment may include antibiotics, depending on the suspected cause of the infection.
• For this, paracetamol either as a liquid, a tablet, or a soluble tablet is usually the best.
• The treatment, however, can start immediately, as the most important part is to reduce the pain .
• While antibiotics may help with the short-term symptoms, there is no evidence that they make otitis media clear up faster or reduce the chance of complications happening.
• Evidence is insufficient to make a recommendation regarding the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for AOM.