Home Remedies for Ear Infection: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

What is an ear infection?

An ear infection (sometimes called acute otitis media) is an infection of the middle ear, the air-filled space behind the eardrum that contains the tiny vibrating bones of the ear. Bacterial or viral infections can cause ear infections. They can occur in your middle ear, as well as the outer and inner ear. They frequently go away on their own, but because of swelling or fluid buildup, they can hurt.

Ear infections can be acute or chronic. Even though they are short, acute ear infections pain. Chronic ear infections either don’t go away or come back frequently. They may damage the middle and inner ear, however the harm is rarely permanent.

Learn more about ear infections, including their causes, symptoms, and possible treatments, by continuing reading.

Middle ear infection

Otitis media is another name for a middle ear infection. It means an infection behind your eardrum. This type of ear infection can happen after any condition that keeps fluid from draining from the middle ear. These conditions include allergies, a cold, a sore throat, or a respiratory infection.

Middle ear infections are common in children, but they can also happen in adults. An ear infection in an adult may mean a more serious problem than in a child. So you may need additional tests. If you have an ear infection, you should see your health care provider for treatment.

Types of middle ear infection

What are the types of middle ear infections? Infections can affect the middle ear in several ways, and apparently, they are:

Acute otitis media. This middle-ear infection occurs suddenly. It causes swelling and redness. Fluid and mucus become trapped inside the ear. You can have a fever and ear pain.
Otitis media with effusion. Fluid (effusion) and mucus build up in the middle ear after the infection goes away. You may feel like your middle ear is full. This can continue for months and may affect your hearing.
Chronic otitis media with effusion. Fluid (effusion) remains in the middle ear for a long time. Or it builds up again and again, even though there is no infection. This type of middle-ear infection may be hard to treat. It may also affect your hearing.

Ear infection symptoms

What are the symptoms of ear infections? The common symptoms of ear infection in adults usually start quickly and below is how to know if you have an ear infection:

mild pain or discomfort inside your ear that does not start to get better after 3 days
being sick.
a persistent feeling of pressure inside your ear
swelling around the ear
a lack of energy.
pus-like ear drainage
a very high temperature or feel hot and shivery
itching and irritation in and around the ear.
hearing loss

These symptoms might persist or come and go. Symptoms may occur in one or both ears. Pain is usually more severe with a double ear infection, which is an infection in both ears. Chronic ear infection symptoms may be less noticeable than those of acute ear infections.

Symptoms of an ear infection in children

Signs of ear infection in baby: Along with symptoms seen in adults, such as ear pain and drainage, young children and babies may show other signs of ear infection, such as:

rubbing or pulling their ear
fever
Crying more than usual.
not reacting to certain sounds
frequently losing balance
headache
fussiness or restlessness
loss of appetite

Ear infections typically last less than three days, although they may extend up to a week. If a child under the age of six months has a fever or other signs of an ear infection, they should consult a doctor. If your child has severe ear pain or a temperature more than 102°F (39°C), you should take them to the physician.

What causes an ear infection?

Ear infections are caused by viruses or bacteria, particularly the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae or Haemophilus influenzae. They often result from a blockage of your Eustachian tubes, which causes fluid to build up in your middle ear. Eustachian tubes are small tubes that run from each of your ears directly to the back of your throat.

Causes of Eustachian tube blockage include:

Ear infections can also develop from infected adenoids. Your adenoids are glands that assist guard your body against infections and are located on the roof of your mouth, behind your nose. Infections can spread from these glands to the nearby ends of your Eustachian tubes.

Risk factors for ear infections

Ear infections occur most commonly in young children because they have short and narrow Eustachian tubes. About 80 percent of children develop an acute ear infection at some point. Infants who are bottle-fed also have a higher incidence of ear infections than their breastfed counterparts.

Other factors that increase the risk of developing an ear infection are:

altitude changes
changes in temperature and humidity
exposure to cigarette smoke
pacifier use
recent illness or ear infection
being male
low birth weight
lack of access to healthcare
being in daycare

Complications of an ear infection

Potential complications of an ear infection: Ear infections usually clear up without intervention, but they may recur. These rare but serious complications may follow an ear infection:

hearing loss
speech or language delay in children, which is more common when there is chronic fluid in the middle ear
mastoiditis (an infection of the mastoid bone in the skull)
meningitis (a bacterial infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord)
ruptured eardrum

Ear Infection Treatment

How are ear infections treated? While the majority of mild ear infections resolve on their own, the following remedies may also be helpful:

Home remedies for ear infection

Home remedies for ear infection in adults: Antibiotics are a medicine prescribed by your doctor. If you’re dealing with an ear infection caused by bacteria, you’ll likely need antibiotics. They are the best way of quickly getting rid of a bacterial infection and preventing it from spreading to other parts of the body.

These methods are effective in relieving the symptoms of a mild ear infection:

Apply a warm cloth to the affected ear.
Take over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication such as ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Use OTC or prescription ear drops to relieve pain.
Take OTC decongestants like pseudoephedrine (Sudafed).
Avoid sleeping on the affected ear.

Medical treatment

Consult a physician if your symptoms worsen or don’t get better. If your ear infection is bacterial, chronic, or doesn’t seem to be getting better, they could recommend medications. Antibiotics don’t help treat viral infections.

Medical treatment in children

When treating child ear infections, doctors frequently use a wait-and-see strategy in order to prevent overprescribing antibiotics, which can result in antibiotic resistance.

In rare cases, a doctor may give you an antibiotic prescription if your symptoms are severe or don’t go away in 2 to 3 days. As an alternative, they can give you a prescription but advise you to hold off to see if your child’s symptoms improve after two or three days.

It’s important to finish your entire prescription. Often, a 7- or 10-day prescription of amoxicillin is prescribed. You shouldn’t give children aspirin without their doctor’s instruction. Aspirin is a preventable risk factor for developing Reyes’ syndrome, a rare disorder that causes brain and liver damage.

Surgery

If your ear infection doesn’t go away after receiving the recommended medical treatment or if you get a string of ear infections quickly, surgery could be an option. Most often, ear tubes are placed in your ears to allow fluid to drain out. These tubes are surgically inserted into your eardrums. The holes ultimately close up after they fall out. Sometimes surgery is required to close these holes.

Note:
If you have infections with tubes in place, symptoms will be drainage rather than pain, pressure, or fever. These ear infections can be treated with drops.
A myringotomy surgery is another option. During this procedure, a doctor creates a small hole in your eardrum to let fluid drain and to relieve pain. The incision heals within a few days. In cases that involve enlarged adenoids, surgical removal of your adenoids may be recommended.

Inner ear infection

Inside ear infection: Parts of your inner ear become irritated or inflamed as a result of an inner ear infection. Your hearing and balance may suffer as a result. If you get sick with the flu or a cold, you might get an inner ear infection. They could also appear if an infection in your middle ear spreads to your inner ear.

Here are some of the antibiotics doctors prescribe to treat an ear infection:

Amoxil (amoxicillin)
Augmentin (amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate)
Cortisporin (neomycin/polymxcin b/hydrocortisone) solution or suspension.
Cortisporin TC (colistin/neomycin/thonzonium/hydrocortisone) suspension.

Outer ear infection

Otitis externa is a condition that causes inflammation (redness and swelling) of the external ear canal, which is the tube between the outer ear and eardrum. Otitis externa is often referred to as “swimmer’s ear” because repeated exposure to water can make the ear canal more vulnerable to inflammation.

Will an outer ear infection go away on its own? Outer ear infections are especially common in adults: About 1 out of 10 people will have one at some point in their life. The infection is usually mild and clears up on its own after a few days or weeks.

If an outer ear infection goes untreated and doesn’t heal on its own, it can result in several complications. Abscesses can develop around the affected area within the ear. These may heal on their own, or your doctor may need to drain them. Long-term outer ear infections can cause narrowing of the ear canal.

When to see a doctor

Visiting a doctor is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention if your child has:

a fever over 102.2°F
pus, discharge, or fluid leaking from your ear
worsening symptoms
symptoms for more than 2 to 3 days
hearing loss
other concerning symptoms

Adults should see a doctor if their symptoms persist for more than two to three days, or you have severe pain or a fever.

How are ear infections diagnosed?

A medical practitioner will take into account your symptoms and examine your ears with an instrument called an otoscope that has a light and magnifying lens. The examination may reveal:

redness, air bubbles, or pus-like fluid inside the middle ear
fluid draining from the middle ear
a perforation in the eardrum
a bulging or collapsed eardrum

This exam is rarely painful, but some children may be bothered.

Additional tests

Other tests include:

Fluid sample. If your infection is advanced, your doctor may take a sample of the fluid inside your ear and test it to determine whether certain types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are present.
Computed tomography (CT) scan. Your doctor may order a CT scan of your head to determine if the infection has spread beyond your middle ear.
Blood tests. Blood tests can check your immune function.
Tympanometry. Tympanometry allows doctors to measure how well your eardrum responds to changes in air pressure inside your ear.
Acoustic reflectometry. This test measures how much sound is reflected back from your eardrum to indirectly measure the amount of fluid in your ear.
Hearing test. You may need a hearing test, especially if you have chronic ear infections.

What does an ear infection look like?

A healthy eardrum looks pinkish-gray. An infection of the middle ear, or an ear with otitis media, looks red, bulging, and there may be clear, yellow, or even greenish hued drainage.

Ear infection vs normal: A healthy eardrum looks pinkish-gray. An infection of the middle ear, or an ear with otitis media, looks red, bulging, and there may be clear, yellow, or even greenish hued drainage.

What does an ear infection feel like?

Ear infections typically present with hearing loss, vertigo, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, difficulty hearing, discharge running out of the ear, a feeling of pressure or fullness inside the ear as well as itching and irritation in and around the ear. If you have these symptoms, you should rest, avoid driving, sudden movements and alcohol.

Is an ear infection contagious?

Ear infections are not contagious or spread from one person to another, but the colds that result in ear infections are. Colds are spread when germs are released from the nose or mouth during coughing or sneezing. Anything that can reduce the spread of germs will help reduce ear infections.

How long does an ear infection last?

Most ear infections clear up within 3 days, although sometimes symptoms can last up to a week or more.. If you, or your child, have a high temperature or you do not feel well enough to do your normal activities, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until you feel better. If the symptoms are severe or they don’t start to improve within a few days, then you should see a doctor. The doctor might prescribe antibiotics if the infection appears to be caused by bacteria.

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How can ear infections be prevented?

The following practices may reduce the risk of ear infection:

washing your hands often
avoiding overly crowded areas
forgoing pacifiers with infants and small children
breastfeeding infants
avoiding secondhand smoke
keeping immunizations up to date

The area of your ear behind your eardrum known as the middle ear is where ear infections are brought on by bacteria or viruses. While the majority of ear infections resolve in about 3 days, more severe infections may require antibiotic treatment.

Children are more likely to have ear infections. If you or your child has extreme pain, a temperature of more than 102.2°F, ear discharge, or any other unsettling symptoms, you should seek medical attention.

An ear infection often occurs after a sore throat, cold or other upper respiratory infection, says Dr. Mclee Tembo. This article above expounds all you need to know about how to fix ear infection, middle, inner and outer ear infection. It lays out ear infection symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment, and not forgetting home remedies for ear infection in adults and children or babies. See how to treat sore throat (Sore Throat Remedies)

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