When Cold Symptoms Include an Earache
“With a cold, you can get ear pain because the eardrum gets inflamed by the viral infection,” says Richard Rosenfeld, MD, MPH, a professor and the chairman of otolaryngology at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. The dull, sharp, or burning earache will go away with the cold. Since colds are caused by viruses, the best you can do is treat the cold symptoms and wait out the infection. Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen) can help ease your earache. However, in some people, particularly in children under age 8 and adults who smoke, a second infection occurs inside the ear when bacteria cause pus and fluid to fill up in the space behind the eardrum. In many ways an ear infection may be similar to the earache symptoms of a cold, except the pain is likely to be sharper and come on more suddenly.
The pain does not go away with your other cold symptoms.Your hearing is dulled. “The hearing loss with an ear infection is typically mild — it’s the equivalent of putting a good earplug in your ear,” says Dr. Rosenfeld.You may develop a fever.The pain is more intense.
Many ear infections are caused by bacteria and can be treated with a course of antibiotics. If you have an ear infection, you may also:
Have difficulty sleepingFeel dizzy
Diagnosing an Ear Infection
To find out whether you have an ear infection, your doctor will use an otoscope to look for signs of infection inside your ear Such signs include:
Bulging eardrum due to fluid and pus behind the eardrum; the fluid buildup is called “effusion.”An eardrum responding less flexibly than normal; this is checked using a pneumatic otoscope.Cloudiness of the eardrum — “Usually the eardrum looks like a clear shower curtain,” says Rosenfeld.Some loss of hearing; but Rosenfeld says hearing tests are not helpful for diagnosing ear infection.
Ear Infection Post-Treatment
Once you have completed a course of antibiotics to treat the ear infection, you may still have fluid behind your eardrum. “Part of the natural history of an ear infection is that you are going to have some fluid left over for anywhere from a few weeks to a few months as part of the healing phase,” explains Rosenfeld. If a couple of months have passed and you still have problems with your hearing, you will need to talk to your doctor about hearing tests. The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery provides more information on ear infections and hearing loss. Earaches won’t last forever, and you can manage the pain to get some relief. A visit to the doctor will help you figure out what is causing your earache — and whether there is something more you can do to relieve the pain.
