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.
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