Middle Ear Infection: One of the Most Common Childhood Illnesses

From the time your child is an infant, he or she will come across a spectrum of childhood illnesses that every parent can relate to. Colds, the flu, stomach viruses, pink eye infection, etc. are very contagious ailments that will quickly spread through a playground or classroom. A middle ear infection is another common childhood illness, but unlike other childhood ailments, it is not a contagious condition. Very painful and often becoming chronic ear infections, middle ear infection symptoms are responsible for many childhood tears and sleepless nights.

To better grasp what happens during a middle ear infection, it helps to learn more about the middle ear. The ear is made up of three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The outer ear is the part of the ear you can see. Just inside the outer ear is the middle ear, which contains the eardrum and three tiny bones that vibrate when sound waves pass by. The middle ear also has a tube, called the Eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear to the back of the throat. This tube allows your middle ear to maintain correct pressure inside the ear, and also to drain mucus from the ear to the throat. Whenever the Eustachian tube becomes blocked, filled with fluid, and infected, it results in a middle ear infection. A middle ear infection also may be called by its scientific name, otitis media.

A middle ear infection can come from any malfunction of the Eustachian tube. If a child has a cold or allergy and gets a stuffy nose, the congestion may build up into the Eustachian tube and cause a middle ear infection. Likewise, bacteria and viruses may otherwise enter the Eustachian tube and become trapped, leading to a middle ear infection.

The person suffering from middle ear infection symptoms will experience pain, fever, and redness of the eardrum. It’s quite possible for the middle ear infection to become chronic (lasting more than 6 weeks). Children under the age of 7 are prone to middle ear infection because both their Eustachian tubes and immune systems are not fully developed. Other factors that may cause a child to be prone to middle ear infection include daycare attendance, exposure to cigarette smoke, and a family history of ear infections.