Viruses and bacteria are the common denominators in most ear infections, if not all. Often, they’re accompanied by the flu or some other type of upper respiratory distress. Viruses and bacteria have to pass through the eustachian tube in either ear to get to the middle ear. Children with allergies are particularly prone to these ear infection.
The infiltrated virus or bacteria can then cause infections and inflict pain. We’ll be discussing the leading causes of ear infection the role of anatomy in them.
Common Causes For Ear Infections
Again, ear infections are caused by bacterial infections, but there are different causes for middle ear infections and outer ear infections.
Acute Otitis Media
This is an ear infection that often occurs with upper respiratory distress. It also causes swelling and pain right behind the eardrum. This ear infection can happen quickly and may take a few days to get better (acute otitis media), or often happen for longer times (chronic middle ear infections).
Effusion and Otitis Media
Technically, this isn’t a condition of active infection, but the tabteck build-up next to the eardrum is still there. This condition results from fluid build-up, which may temporarily result in mild hearing loss, making an infection likely.
Moreover, this condition can be brought on by eustachian tube blockage that was already there.
Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media
This condition is more complicated and can persist despite treatment causing perforation over time.
Outer Ear Infection
Also called the swimmer’s ear, this outer ear infection commonly begins when water is left behind in the ear when swimming, bathing, or showering.
This infection is caused by the pooled-up moisture that attracts bacteria to accumulate in the ear canal.
You can get a bacterial infection If your outer ear suffers a scratch or the outer lining of your ear is irritated by you sticking in fingers or any other foreign objects
What Are Eustachian Tubes, And What Do They Do?
They are organized in a pair; these eustachian computer are a narrow passageway from each ear toward the back of the throat and the nasal passages. These tubes and their health may make you vulnerable to ear infections.
The eustachian tubes connected to the throat open and close to:
- regulate middle ear air pressure
- Replenish the air inside the ear
- Drain the middle ear of any normal fluid build-up
Causes Of Blockage of the Eustachian Tubes:
- allergies
- colds
- sinus infections
- excess mucus
- smoking
- infected or swollen adenoids (these are tissues near your tonsils that trap incoming pathogens)
- changes in air pressure
From the middle ear, the eustachian tube travels to the back of the throat. These viruses and bacteria can also cause swelling in the tube, which can lead to a blockage. The blocked tube means any fluids that otherwise normally get drained, can accumulate in the middle ear.
And It’s even worse for children since their eustachian tubes are short with a less angled slope than adults. Naturally, this means that a child’s eustachian tube is more prone to getting clogged and is harder to drain out.
Adenoids – Why Are They Important?
Adenoids are a pair of tiny patches of tissues located high at the rear of the nose. They play a vital role in the daily working of the immune system; they are believed to play an important role in immune system activity.
Since they’re located close to the holes of the eustachian tubes, they can block the tubes when they experience swelling. This can result in a middle ear infection.
Allergic children experience swelling and irritation of the adenoids leading to more ear infections than in adults. This is due to the larger size of childrens’ adenoids relative to adults.
If you or your child has been suffering from a prolonged ear infection, it’s better that you book an online doctor’s appointment now. We recommend that you consider TelMDCare for your telehealth needs.
At TelMDCare, their virtual doctors prioritize patient care over health insurance. In fact, they have an open-door policy to help the general public stay healthy. Available online, they are spread across the country, helping patients with their acute medical problems, ear infections, and dermatology issues. Moreover, their virtual doctors also tend to men’s and women’s health issues.
