otitis media, inflammation of the lining of the middle ear. Otitis media is one of the most common infections in childhood, with about three-quarters of children affected by age three. There are three types of otitis media. Acute otitis media commonly develops in association with an infection of the upper respiratory tract that extends from the nasopharynx to the middle ear through the eustachian tube. Otitis media with effusion occurs as fluid and mucus accumulate in the middle ear following acute infection. The persistence of fluid in the middle ear or its repeated return in the absence of infection is known as chronic otitis media with effusion.
Frequent causes of otitis media include infection with a cold virus or influenza virus or infection with the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae or Haemophilus influenzae. Symptoms of infection include fever, earache, and sometimes suppuration (discharge of pus). Diagnosis is established by careful visual examination of the tympanic membrane (eardrum) and by techniques (tympanometry) that can provide evidence of fluid behind the eardrum.
Antibiotics or antivirals generally are given for acute otitis because the infection can spread to the nearby bones (mastoiditis) and the central nervous system (meningitis). The disease can be complicated by perforation of the eardrum and, in rare cases, by permanent hearing loss that leads to delays in the development of speech and language use.