What Is the Difference Between the Symptoms of a Cold and an Ear Infection?
An earache from a cold can be a sharp, dull, or burning pain that can range from mild to very painful. Even if the trapped fluid in the ear is not infected, the fluid puts pressure on the eardrum, causing it to bulge and throb. With an earache from a cold, you or your child may have difficulty sleeping, run a fever, and have green or yellow mucus in the nose. Because colds are self-limiting, an earache with a cold usually goes away on its own. Still, if you have an earache, an ear infection may be likely, which means you might need to see your doctor for a diagnosis and proper treatment. While earaches can occur first with a cold virus, sometimes a secondary ear infection may occur. These ear infections are usually sudden in onset and extremely painful in the beginning. That’s because the sensory nerve endings in the eardrum respond to increased pressure with pain. After the eardrum stretches a little, the earache pain may ease up. Other symptoms of an earache from an ear infection may
An earache from a cold can be a sharp, dull, or burning pain that can range from mild to very painful. Even if the trapped fluid in the ear is not infected, the fluid puts pressure on the eardrum, causing it to bulge and throb. With an earache from a cold, you or your child may have difficulty sleeping, run a fever, and have green or yellow mucus in the nose. Because colds are self-limiting, an earache with a cold usually goes away on its own. Still, if you have an earache, an ear infection may be likely, which means you might need to see your doctor for a diagnosis and proper treatment. While earaches can occur first with a cold virus, sometimes a secondary ear infection may occur. These ear infections are usually sudden in onset and extremely painful in the beginning. That’s because the sensory nerve endings in the eardrum respond to increased pressure with pain. After the eardrum stretches a little, the earache pain may ease up. Other symptoms of an earache from an ear infection may
