What are the harms of fluid buildup in your ears or repeated or ongoing ear infections?
What are the harms of fluid buildup in your ears or repeated or ongoing ear infections?
Most ear infections don’t cause long-term problems, but when they do happen, complications can include:
- Loss of hearing: Some mild, temporary hearing loss (muffling/distortion of sound) usually occurs during an ear infection. Ongoing infections, infections that repeatedly occur, damage to internal structures in the ear from a buildup of fluid can cause more significant hearing loss.
- Delayed speech and language development: Children need to hear to learn language and develop speech. Muffled hearing for any length of time or loss of hearing can significantly delay or hamper development.
- Tear in the eardrum: A tear can develop in the eardrum from pressure from the long-lasting presence of fluid in the middle ear. About 5% to 10% of children with an ear infection develop a small tear in their eardrum. If the tear doesn’t heal on its own, surgery may be needed. If you have drainage/discharge from your ear, do not place anything into your ear canal. Doing so can be dangerous if there is an accident with the item touching the ear drum.
- Spread of the infection: Infection that doesn’t go away on its own, is untreated or is not fully resolved with treatment may spread beyond the ear. Infection can damage the nearby mastoid bone (bone behind the ear). On rare occasions, infection can spread to the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord (meninges) and cause meningitis.