This document discusses the symptoms, causes, and diagnosis of ear infections. Common symptoms of ear infections include ear pain, hearing loss, drainage from the ear, and fever. Potential causes include respiratory infections, adenoid issues, excess mucus, climate factors, and not being breastfed. Diagnosis involves examining the ear for symptoms like tugging or irritation. Tests like tympanometry measure the eardrum's movement to assess pressure in the middle ear. Severe infections may require draining fluid from the middle ear.

3.  Respiratory infections such as colds and sinus
infections
 Infection or trouble with the adenoids (lymph
tissue in your upper throat area)
 Excess mucus or saliva, such as that produced
during teething
 Living in a cold climate
 Changes in altitude or climate
 Not being breastfed as an infant

4.  Ear pain or earache
 Hearing loss in the infected ear
 Tinnitus
 Dizziness
 Ear drainage
 Fever, especially in children

5.  Itching in your ear canal
 Discomfort that worsens if you pull or push
on your outer ear
 Ear drainage (begins clear and odorless, may
progress to pus)

6. Look for the following symptoms:
 Tugging, pulling, or scratching the ear
 Fussiness, irritability, or incessant crying
 Fever (especially for infants and very young
children)
 Fluid drainage from the ear
 Clumsiness or balance problems
 Trouble hearing

7. If you or your child experience certain following
symptoms, you should contact your doctor
immediately:
 Blood or pus in ear drainage (may look white,
yellow, green, or pinkish/red)
 Continued high fever, especially if it is over 102F
(39C)
 Dizziness or vertigo
 Stiff neck
 Tinnitus
 Pain or swelling behind or around the ear
 Ear pain that lasts more than 48 hours

8.  Tympanometry: This test measures the movement
of the eardrum. The device, which seals off the ear
canal, adjusts air pressure in the canal, thereby
causing the eardrum to move. The device
quantifies how well the eardrum moves and
provides an indirect measure of pressure within
the middle ear.
 Tympanocentesis: Rarely, a doctor may use a tiny
tube that pierces the eardrum to drain fluid from
the middle ear — a procedure called
tympanocentesis. Tests to determine the infectious
agent in the fluid may be beneficial if an infection
hasn't responded well to previous treatments.

9. www.eardoc.info