What on earth is a middle-ear infection?!


Question:

What on earth is a middle-ear infection?

I have flu but my doctor says I also have a severe middle-ear infection. What exactly is a middle-ear infection?


Answers:

A little knowledge of the basic anatomy of the middle ear will be helpful for understanding the development of otitis media. The external ear canal is that tube which leads from the outside opening of the ear to the structure called the tympanic membrane. Behind the tympanic membrane is the space called the middle ear. Within the middle ear are three tiny bones, called ossicles. Sound (in the form of vibration) causes movement in the eardrum, and then the ossicles. The ossicles transmit the sound to a structure within the inner ear, which sends it to the brain for processing.

The nasopharynx is that passageway behind the nose which takes inhaled air into the breathing tubes leading to the lungs. The eustachian tube is a canal which runs between the middle ear and the nasopharynx. One of the functions of the eustachian tube is to keep the air pressure in the middle ear equal to that outside. This allows the eardrum and ossicles to vibrate appropriately, so that hearing is normal.
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Causes and symptoms

The first thing necessary for the development of otitis media is exposure to an organism capable of causing the infection. These include a variety of viruses, as well as such bacteria as Streptococcus pneumoniae (causes about 35% of all acute ear infections), Haemophilus influenzae (causes about 23% of all acute ear infections), or Moraxella catarrhalis (causes about 14% of all acute ear infections).

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Antibiotics are the treatment of choice for ear infections. Different antibiotics are used depending on the type of bacteria most likely to be causing the infection. This decision involves knowledge of the types of antibiotics that have worked on other ear infections occurring within a particular community at a particular time. Options include sulfa-based antibiotics, as well as a variety of penicillins and cephalosporins.




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