Take the Ear Infection Quiz
Infections of the middle ear, called otitis media, seem to be a common badge of childhood. Seventy-five percent of children experience at least one episode of otitis media by their third birthday. How much do you know about this illness? Take this quiz, based on information from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
1. An ear infection usually begins with a cold.
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Otitis media often begins when infections that cause sore throats, colds, or other respiratory or breathing problems spread to the middle ear.
2. Otitis media is primarily an illness affecting infants and young children.
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But this illness can also affect adults. Children are more susceptible to middle ear infections because their immune systems are still developing, and because their eustachian tubes are shorter and straighter than in adults.
3. The ear's eustachian tube is the primary culprit in otitis media.
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The eustachian tube is usually closed, but opens regularly to ventilate or replenish the air in the middle ear. This tube also equalizes middle ear air pressure in the environment. A eustachian tube that is blocked by swelling of its lining or plugged with mucus from a cold or for some other reason cannot open to ventilate the middle ear. The lack of ventilation may allow fluid from the tissue that lines the middle ear to accumulate. If the eustachian tube remains plugged, the fluid cannot drain and begins to collect in the normally air-filled middle ear.
4. The adenoids also play a role in the development of otitis media.
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The adenoids in children are larger than they are in adults. Adenoids are composed largely of cells (lymphocytes) that help fight infections. They are positioned in the back of the nose, near the eustachian tubes. Enlarged adenoids can, because of their size, interfere with the eustachian tube opening. In addition, adenoids may themselves become infected, and the infection may spread into the eustachian tubes.
5. Children often have trouble hearing when they develop an ear infection. This hearing loss usually is only temporary, however.
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Hearing loss is temporary, but only if the infection is treated. Untreated otitis media may lead to permanent hearing impairment. Persistent fluid in the middle ear and chronic otitis media can reduce a child's hearing at a time that is critical for speech and language development. Children who have early hearing impairment from frequent ear infections are likely to have speech and language disabilities.
6. Difficulty sleeping and loss of balance are two symptoms of otitis media.
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Other symptoms include unusual irritability, tugging or pulling at one or both ears, fever, fluid draining from the ear, and unresponsiveness to quiet sounds.
7. Children who live in homes where there is cigarette smoke are more likely to develop otitis media.
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Also, children who attend day care are more likely to develop the illness. And infants who are given a bottle while they lie down are also at risk.
8. Once the infection clears, fluid may remain in the middle ear for several months.
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Middle-ear fluid that is not infected often disappears after three to six weeks. If the fluid persists for more than three months and is associated with a loss of hearing, many physicians suggest the insertion of "tubes" in the affected ears. The tube ventilates the middle ear and helps keep the air pressure in the middle ear equal to the air pressure in the environment. The tube normally stays in the eardrum for six to 12 months, after which time it usually comes out spontaneously.
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