WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF EAR INFECTIONS IN CHILDREN?
Symptoms of Acute Otitis Media Symptoms of acute otitis media usually develop suddenly and can include: • Pain or discomfort in the ear. (It is difficult to determine if a preverbal child or infant has an ear infection. Some children may indicate pain if they have trouble swallowing food and rejecting it. Some parents believe that tugging on the ear indicates an infection, but this gesture is more likely to indicate pain from teething.) • Coughing. • Nasal congestion. • Fever • Irritability. • Loss of appetite. • Vomiting. • Pus in the ear may cause hearing loss in some children. • If the ear infection is severe, the tympanic membrane may rupture causing the parent to notice pus draining from the ear. (This usually brings relief from pain.) Fevers and colds often make children irritable and fussy, so it is difficult to determine if otitis media is present as well. In about a third of children with acute middle ear infection, symptoms are not apparent. Symptoms of Otitis Media with Effu
