Earache - Causes
Bacteria, viruses, and fungi can all cause ear infections. The way otitis externa and otitis media develop is somewhat different.
Otitis Externa
Infections of the outer ear occur most commonly in summer. People often spend time in swimming pools and lakes. Their outer ears are more likely to be filled with water than they are during the winter. The presence of water in the ear has two effects. First, it tends to wash away cerumen (pronounced seh-ROO-men) in the ear. Cerumen is ear wax. It coats the ear and protects it from microorganisms.
Second, water carries bacteria, viruses, and fungi into the external ear. The external ear is an ideal place for the growth of these microorganisms. It is warm, moist, and dark. In the absence of cerumen, these microorganisms grow rapidly and can cause an infection of the outer ear.
Otitis Media
Most cases of otitis media occur during the winter. They develop as a side effect of an upper respiratory infection (URI), such as a cold (see common cold entry) or the flu (see influenza entry). Bacteria or viruses that cause URIs travel down the Eustachian tube into the middle ear. There they grow and cause an infection of the middle ear.
- Adenoid:
- A mass of lymph tissue located near the pharynx.
- Antibiotic:
- A substance derived from fungi or bacteria that suppresses the growth of other microrganisms. Antibiotics are used to treat infections.
- Auricle:
- The external structure of the ear.
- Cephalosporins:
- A specific type of antibiotic used to treat many types of infections.
- Cerumen:
- Earwax.
- Eustachian tube:
- A small tube that connects the middle ear to the pharynx.
- Ossicles:
- Tiny bones located within the middle ear responsible for transmitting sound vibrations from the outer ear to the inner ear.
- Penicillin:
- A specific types of antibiotic used to treat many types of infections.
- Pharynx:
- The part of the airway that connects the nose and mouth with the upper part of the digestive system.
Otitis media is most common among young children between the ages of three months and three years. During this period, the eustachian tube is still quite short. Bacteria and viruses can travel down the tube to the middle ear quite easily.
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