Ear infection symptoms

Ear infection usually affects children, but adults, dogs, and cats can also be affected by this uncomfortable condition. Here, we will mention a few useful things about the causes, symptoms, and treatments of ear infections.

Types of Ear Infections

Depending on what part of the ear is infected, we can distinguish three types of ear infection: inner ear infection, middle ear infection, and outer ear infection. However, we can also say that there are two different middle ear infections, and those are acute otitis media and otitis media with effusion.

The first refers to infection, swelling, and presence of liquid in the middle ear, which is extremely painful, whereas the second one is diagnosed when there is also liquid, but it stays there after the condition is cured.

What Can Cause Ear Infections?

Ear infection develops as a result of bacteria or virus attack. The outer ear is usually infected when somehow polluted water enters the ear. When viruses or bacteria reach the middle ear (usually through the nose) they inflame the middle ear, and when those bacteria or viruses pass to the inner ear, they cause inner ear infection, which is the most serious one. It is very important to know what the cause of infection is so that suitable treatment can be determined.

An ear infection is among the leading causes of deafness in many low/middle-income countries. Unfortunately, most patients with ear infections in resource-limited settings delay seeking medical attention; hence, usually present with complications. Bacteria are the leading pathogens of ear infection, whereby, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella species are the dominant bacteria causing ear infection globally. In addition, Candida spp and Aspergillus spp are predominant fungal isolates responsible for ear infections. However, due to limited diagnostic opportunities, fungal ear infections are often undiagnosed, especially in resource-limited countries, including Tanzania.

We conducted a hospital-based cross-sectional study from March to July 2021 in the otorhinolaryngology clinic at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. MNH is the leading national referral hospital, research centre and a university teaching hospital. It is the largest tertiary healthcare facility in Tanzania. The hospital has a capacity of 1500 beds, attending from 1000 to 1200 outpatients per week and admitting from 1000 to 1200 inpatients per week. The otorhinolaryngology department has inpatient and outpatient units; about 20–30 patients attend the outpatient clinic per day.
Two hundred and fifty-five participants were enrolled, with a median age of 31 years and an IQR of 15–49. Otitis externa was the predominant type of ear infection, accounting for 45.1%. We observed positive bacteria culture in 53.3% of study participants, in which 41% of isolates were obtained from patients with chronic suppurative otitis media.
Moreover, Staphylococcus aureus (27.3%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (24.2%) were the most frequently isolated bacteria, while Candida spp, 12 (63.8%) and Aspergillus spp, 9 (36.2%) were the only isolated fungi. Furthermore, we report that 93% of isolated Enterobacterales were resistant to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and 73% were resistant to ceftazidime.
In addition, we detected 34.4% extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-PE) and 44.4% methicillin-resistance S. aureus (MRSA). We also found that 22% of the bacteria isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, a primary topical antibiotic used in managing ear infections.

✓ Fact confirmed: Aetiology of ear infection and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern among patients attending otorhinolaryngology clinic at a tertiary hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: a hospital-based cross-sectional study Aminiel Shangali, Doreen Kamori, Willybroad Massawe, Salim Masoud, Upendo Kibwana, Anthony G. Mwingwa, Anselmo Manisha, Ambele M. Mwandigha, Mariam M. Mirambo, Stephen E. Mshana, Joel Manyahi, and Mtebe Majigo; 2023 Apr 3.

Symptoms of Ear Infections

Different signs can indicate an ear infection. The symptoms of outer ear infection are visible and include swelling, itchiness, and tenderness of the ear. You can recognize middle ear infections by pain in the ear, increased body temperature, liquid running out of the ear, and problems with hearing.

Inner ear infection is the most severe one and the symptoms are usually very disturbing and include dizziness, sickness, loss of balance, and difficulty hearing. Rarely, ear infections can develop without a person experiencing any signs.

Treatments for Ear Infections

For the treatment of ear infections antibiotics are used to destroy the bacteria causing the infection. The infection will disappear over time, but what seems to be the biggest problem is the pain that the infection produces.

Most people just want to get rid of the earache. Pain caused by outer and middle ear infections can be relieved by painkillers or tea tree oil drops, and when the pain is excessive, the medical adviser will give you pain relief ear drops.

If you suspect that you have an ear infection, it is best to seek medical help. However, you should know that the infection is treatable and leaves no consequences.