Symptoms of otitis media

Symptoms depend on age and the type of otitis media. Young children cannot always say where it hurts.

In babies and young children

• Pulling or tugging at the ear
• Crying more than usual, irritability and poor sleep
• Fever
• Trouble feeding or sucking
• Loss of balance or clumsiness
• Poor response to quiet sounds
• Fluid or pus draining from the ear

In older children and adults

• Ear pain, sometimes sharp and sudden
• A feeling of fullness or blocked ear
• Reduced hearing
• Fever, nausea or dizziness
• Ear discharge, which may bring relief from pain if the eardrum has ruptured

Fluid without infection (effusion)

Often painless. It may cause muffled hearing, a child not responding, speech delay or school difficulty.

Chronic otitis media

Repeated or persistent ear discharge, reduced hearing and sometimes a smell. Pain may be mild.

Ayurvedic view

Traditional texts list Karnashula (ear pain), Karnasrava (discharge) and Badhirya (hearing loss). This is an interpretive description, not a diagnosis.

Urgent signs

Swelling, redness or tenderness behind the ear, a stiff neck, severe headache, confusion, facial weakness, high fever, or fever in a baby under 6 months need urgent medical care.

See a doctor if ear pain lasts more than a day or two, or there is any discharge or hearing change.

When to get help

See a doctor or ENT clinic if ear pain, discharge or hearing change does not settle in a couple of days, if infections keep coming back, or if you are unsure about any medicine or drop. Early assessment protects hearing and helps avoid unnecessary treatment.

Remember

A doctor looks at the eardrum with an otoscope. Home guessing is not a safe way to tell the types apart.