Knowing Causes Ear Pain: Due to Colds or infection?

healthydailymail.com Ear pain can be caused by colds, ear infections, or even both. Knowing the causes of ear pain you experience will help get the right treatment.

When you experience a cough, sneezing, runny nose (nasal mucus), usually you will also feel the pain in the ear. Getting the 'package' is certainly not a complete enjoyable experience. Related problems earache, you must know in advance, if you feel pain associated with symptoms of a cold or really an ear infection.

When symptoms Colds Accompanied by Ear Pain

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"When colds, you may also experience pain in the ear because the eardrum will become inflamed due to a virus infection," said Richard Rosenfeld, MD, MPH, a spokesman for the American Academy of Otolaryngology, as reported by the everydayhealth.

Because colds are caused by viruses, then the thing to do is to treat the symptoms. Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) can help relieve earache happened. You can also consult your doctor about other medications is right for you.

In some people, especially children under the age of 8 years old and adults who smoke, infection can occur in the ear when the bacteria that cause fluid and pus fill the area or space behind the eardrum. In many cases, it may look similar to the symptoms of an ear infection, but the pain suddenly appear and will be noticeably worse than before.

Earache due Ear Infections

For this problem, doctors usually call with acute otitis media ear infection or Acute Otitis Media (AOM). Signs that someone had an ear infection compared earache which coincided with a cold are:

    Pain does not go away with other cold symptoms.

    Hearing will decrease. "Hearing loss due to ear infections are usually mild, the equivalent of putting earplugs in your ears," said Dr. Rosenfeld.

    You may have a fever.

    The pain was more intense.

Many ear infections caused by bacteria, and this condition can be treated with antibiotics. If you have an ear infection, there are chances you will have difficulty sleeping, dizziness, fever up.

Diagnose Ear Pain

To find out if you have an ear infection, a doctor may use the otoscope to look for signs of infection in the ear such as:

    The prominence of the eardrum as a result of fluid and pus behind the eardrum. The liquid is called 'effusion'.

    The eardrum is less respond flexibly than usual; it is checked using a pneumatic otoscope.

    Eardrum looks dark or vague. "Usually the eardrum looks like a shower curtain," said Rosenfeld.

    Sometimes hearing loss, but Rosenfeld said that the hearing test can not help diagnose ear infections.

Post-Treatment of Ear Infections

After treating ear infections with antibiotics, your ears may still have fluid behind the eardrum. "That is something that naturally related ear infections, where one still has the remaining fluid in his ears for a few weeks to a few months as part of the healing phase," said Rosenfeld. However, if a few months have passed and you still have problems with hearing, you should consult with a physician to perform hearing tests.