Ear Infections - Causes, Treatments and Prevention
June 26, 2008
What is the cause of ear infections?
Ear infections are the swelling of the inner tube of the middle ear, the most common form of ear infection, which causes the inner tube of the ear to close and trap fluids, causing germs to grow and leads to infection.
Where and when do middle ear infections occur?
Middle ear infections usually occur inside the middle ear or the ear canal and usually begin with a cold which causes the ear canal to swell up and keep fluids inside the ear, making a breeding ground for germs and infection to grow.
What happens during the ear infection?
What happens is mucus inside the ear called pus develops inside the ear as the body tries to fight the infection and as this happens, more fluid builds up and pushes against the eardrum, causing pain and sometimes and sometimes loss of hearing.
In small children, fever also develops and usually last 1-2 days and crying lasts for 3-4 hours. After that, most children have some on and off pain for up to 4 days and in very small children, up to 9 days, which can be shortened to a day through antibiotics. In severe cases of ear infection, when too much fluid is built inside the ear, the eardrum ruptures, allowing the fluid to drain and shortly after, the pain and fever usually goes away.
How can a middle ear infection be treated?
The most common form of treatment for ear infections is antibiotics. Antibiotics are generally used for the more severe cases of middle ear infections and very small children. In mild cases, when the fluid is drained out of the ear canal by itself, then the pain and fever would go away.
Home treatment and over-the-counter pain relievers like Advil, Tylenol, Motrin and Aleve can do the trick. Also a form of treatment for middle ear infections is by applying heat to the ear using a warm, wet cloth or a heating pad. When applying these remedies to small children, take great caution as to the amount of heat being applied to the ear.
Rest is also another form of treatment for ear infections, since the more rest the infected person gets; the better they can fight off the infection. Also by applying eardrops to the infected area, the ear infection would subside.
How to prevent ear infections?
Well, there are several ways that a person can prevent from getting an ear infection. One way is by not smoking, since tobacco products release fumes that can cause infections, esp. in young children. Also, one could wash their hands often to kill bacteria form entering the body. For small children, mothers can breast-feed their babies to prevent the baby from getting ear infection. And there is also a parent getting their kids immunized is probably the best way to prevent ear infections.
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