Ear infections can affect both children and adults. Children will experience them more often, but it’s not a health problem you simply age out of.
Typically, ear infections are mild conditions that can be treated with over-the-counter medication, but sometimes they can be quite severe. Let’s look at a few important facts about this condition so that you’ll be informed and be able to handle an ear infection properly.
Symptoms to Know about
If you have never had an ear infection before, you might think that this kind of medical problem causes some pain perhaps but nothing more. There are actually a bunch of potential symptoms caused by ear infections, and we’re going to cover a lot of them here so that you can look out for them and have some idea of what might be the medical condition behind the symptoms.
You may experience some dizziness or loss of balance. Inner ear infections can have negative effects on your equilibrium, which may lead to nausea as well. Many people suffering from ear infections will also experience headaches, swelling, fever, tenderness and inflammation. You may have a few of these symptoms at once or just one at time. They may come and go while you have the infection, and the severity and duration of the symptoms will depend on the type of infection you have and how severe that infection is.
You may notice a discharge with some kinds of ear infections. This may be a clear or colored discharge. You should never pick at or poke the ear, particularly when an infection is present. You can easily damage the ear, spread the infection or cause the problem to become worse.
Where Ear Infections Take Place
Not all ear infections are going to be visible to someone simply peering into your ear unaided. Ear infections can occur in the inner ear, middle ear or outer ear, so they won’t always be obvious. Depending on where the infection is located, you may have different symptoms. You are more likely to experience pain and swelling in the outer ear and nausea and a loss of balance with the inner ear.
The middle ear is the part of your ear directly in front of the eardrum. If you get an infection here, it can feel like your ears are clogged, similarly to how you would feel after going into the water to swim and not getting all the water out right away.
The inner ear is on the interior of your eardrum, and you won’t be able to see an infection there, but you can definitely feel the effects of it. If you start to see some of the symptoms we listed above but don’t see any infection, then you need to see an ENT specialist in Singapore about your ear infection.
What’s Causing Ear Infections?
Whatever kind of ear infection you are having and wherever it may be located, there is a root cause behind the problem. Your infection is likely treatable, but knowing what caused it in the first place is key to helping your ENT specialist fight the infection successfully.
What might have caused your ear infection and created the symptoms? Most ear infections are caused by viruses, germs or bacteria. These can get into the ear from other parts of the body when someone touched their mouth, eyes or nose and then touches their ear. Infections can spread rapidly and cause a variety of symptoms in short order.
Viral infections like flus and fevers often cause ear infections. Sneezing and coughing can rupture the eardrum, making it easy for an infection to find its way inside the ear and through the eardrum.
To avoid spreading viruses and contaminants, those who are sick should not touch their face while they have symptoms. They should wash their hands regularly and thoroughly to prevent the spread of infection.
If you think you might be suffering from an ear infection, it’s a good idea to visit an ENT specialist near you. Find out what the diagnosis is so that the infection can be treated before it gets worse or spreads to other areas of the body.
