Viral Ear Infections | Overview and Treatment

Image credit: kauveryhospital.com

Are ear infections a bacterial or viral infection?

Ear infections can be either bacterial or viral infections. They can occur in your middle ear, the part of your ear just behind your eardrum, as well as the outer and inner ear. They often clear up on their own but can be painful due to inflammation or fluid buildup. Ear infections can be chronic or acute.

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. Children are more likely than adults to get ear infections.

What causes ear infections?

Ear infections can be caused by bacteria or viruses. The middle ear is the part of the ear just behind the ear drum, connected to the throat by a short tube known as the Eustachian tube. When you have a cold, the infection can spread up this tube to the middle ear.

What causes an ear infection?

An ear infection is caused by a bacterium or virus in the middle ear. This infection often results from another illness — cold, flu or allergy — that causes congestion and swelling of the nasal passages, throat and eustachian tubes. The middle ear has three small bones — the hammer, or malleus; the anvil, or incus; and the stirrup, or stapes.

How does ear infection affect the ear?

This creates negative pressure that draws mucus out of the lining of the ear. The accumulated mucus, in turn, becomes a hotbed for infection. AOM is characterized by the rapid onset of pain in the middle ear accompanied by other signs of infection, including redness, swelling, and a pus-like discharge. Muffled hearing is also common.

What Is Viral Ear Infections

1. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/ear-infection
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ear-infections/symptoms-causes/syc-20351616
3. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8613-ear-infection-otitis-media
4. https://www.healthline.com/health/ear-infections
5. https://www.verywellhealth.com/treating-ear-infections-in-adults-5200690
6. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/ear-infections
7. https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/networks/eci/clinical/ed-factsheets/ear-infection

Viral Ear Infections Information

1. https://patient.info/ears-nose-throat-mouth/earache-ear-pain/ear-infection-otitis-media
2. https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Ear_infections_and_Otitis_media/