Otitis Media Symptoms | Otitis Media Complications | Otitis Media Causes

Otitis media disease is the inflammation of the middle ear. It is very common in infancy and early childhood. Otitis media is generally associated with upper respiratory tract infections.

A middle ear infection is also termed otitis media. Otitis media happens when a bacteria or virus causes the area behind the eardrum to become inflamed. The condition is most common in children. According to the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, middle ear infections occur in 80% of children by the time they reach age three.

Most middle ear infections happen during the early spring and winter. Sometimes it has been seen that without any medication, middle ear infections go away. If pain persists or you have a fever then you should seek medical treatment.

Types of Otitis Media Disease:

There are four types of otitis media. Those are-

• Acute supportive otitis media (ASOM),
• Chronic supportive otitis media (CSOM),
• Acute otitis media,
• Otitis media with effusion.

All the clinical features of the otitis media have pointed out below:

1. Discomfort,
2. Pain in the affected ear,
3. Restlessness,
4. Parenteral diarrhea and vomiting,
5. Discharge and hearing impairment,
6. Irritability,
7. Continuous crying and fever,
8. Pull or rubbing the affected ear.

Symptoms of Otitis Media Disease:

Some common symptoms of otitis media are-

1. Irritability,
2. Crying,
3. Pulling on the ears,
4. A headache,
5. Feeling of fullness in the ear,
6. Sleeplessness,
7. Ear pain,
8. Neck pain.

All the complications of the otitis media have listed below:

Extra-cranial Complications:
It includes-

• Chronic and recurrent otitis media,
• Acute mastoiditis,
• Hearing impairment,
• Neck abscess,
• Facial palsy,
• Sub-periosteal abscess.

Intracranial Complications:
It includes-

• Cerebral abscess,
• Meningitis.

More questions related to this article:

1. What is otitis media?
2. What do you mean by otitis media?
3. What causes otitis?
4. Mention the classification of otitis media?
5. What are the most common causes of otitis media?
6. What are the clinical features of otitis media?
7. What are the common symptoms of otitis media?
8. What are the complications of otitis media?
9. Mention different types of otitis media.
10. Describe an overview of otitis media.