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Ency. home > Disease > O > Otitis media - acute

Otitis media - acute    See images

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Acute ear infection; Acute otitis media; Infection - inner ear; Middle ear infection - acute

Treatment

The goal of treatment is cure of the infection.

Nasal sprays, nose drops, oral decongestants, or, occasionally, oral antihistamines may be used to promote drainage of fluid through the eustachian tube.

Ear drops may be prescribed to relieve pain. Over-the-counter antipyretic and analgesic medications (such as acetaminophen - oral) may be used to reduce fever and discomfort. Aspirin should not be given to children during a viral upper respiratory infection because this has been linked with Reye's syndrome. Antibiotics may be prescribed if infection is present and the infection appears bacterial rather than viral. Oral corticosteroids may occasionally be prescribed to reduce inflammation. Warmth to the ears (using warm cloths or warm water bottles, for example) may relieve pain.

Keep the ears clean and dry to reduce the risk of reinfection.

Myringotomy (surgical cutting of the eardrum) may occasionally be needed to relieve pressure and allow drainage. This may or may not also involve placement of drainage tubes in the ear. Surgery to remove the adenoids may prevent them from blocking the eustachian tube.

Prognosis

Otitis media is curable with treatment but may recur. It is not life threatening but may be quite painful.

Complications

Most children will have temporary and minor hearing loss during and right after an ear infection, because fluid can linger in the ear. Although this fluid can go unnoticed, it can cause significant hearing problems in children. Any fluid that lasts longer than 8-12 weeks is cause for concern -- in children, hearing problems may cause speech to develop slowly.

Permanent hearing loss is rare, but the risk increases the more infections a child has.

Call Your Health Care Provider If:

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you have symptoms of acute otitis media.

Call your health care provider if the symptoms worsen, or if new symptoms appear, especially persistent fever, severe headache, persistent earache, swelling around the ear, twitching of the face muscles (facial tics), dizziness, or if severe ear pain suddenly stops hurting (this may indicate eardrum rupture).

Ency. home > Disease > O > Otitis media - acute

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