Ear Infection Symptoms and Treatment
Sometimes it is hard to know what exactly is causing a person to feel ill. There are many signs that can be confusing when trying to determine the source of one’s problems. This is especially true when it comes to an ear infection. More than any other ailment, these infections cause a wide variety of symptoms that can often be very difficult to pinpoint. However, there are a few specific things to watch for that can verify the existence of an ear infection.
What to Watch Out For
If someone begins exhibiting any of the following ear infection symptoms, they should seek advice from a doctor:
- ear pain
- fever
- drainage from the ear
- loss of appetite
- trouble sleeping
- nausea
- trouble hearing
- dizziness
- balance issues
- ringing in the ear – tinnitus
In some instances, an individual may exhibit only one or two of these symptoms, while others may experience the entire list, or even none at all. This makes it often difficult for an inexperienced person to diagnose an ear infection. Because many of the listed symptoms can also be caused by other illnesses or infections, it is important to see a trained doctor if it looks like the individual may have some type of infection, as antibiotics will most likely be needed to cure it.
Though most of the signs of an ear infection are possible indicators for other things, a few of them are more prominent and easier to spot. For example pain, drainage from the ear and trouble hearing, are common indicators of an ear infection.
Ear Drainage and Trouble Hearing
Ear drainage is not a very common symptom unless a person is suffering from an ear infection or other ear related issue. There are not many other problems that can cause ear drainage, making it pretty easy to narrow down the list of possible ailments. The type of fluid draining from the ear can also say a lot about what is going on inside of the ear. If the ear is leaking blood, this is a much more serious situation that should be immediately evaluated, but most other kinds of ear drainage are definitely symptoms of some sort of ear infection.
The same is true of hearing trouble. If someone is having difficulty hearing, most often this means something is going on within his or her ears. It is not likely that hearing loss would be associated with the flu or an asthma attack, for instance. So, this particular sign should typically be viewed as an ear infection symptom and the person should go to a doctor as soon as possible.
If you have questions about ear infection symptoms and treatment, contact your local doctor who will arrange for you to see an ear nose throat specialist.