What are the symptoms of ear infections?

Ear infections produce a recognizable picture of symptoms. Knowing what each one means helps you tell an ordinary infection from one that needs a closer look.

Common Symptoms in Adults and Older Children

• Ear pain that aches, throbs, or feels sharp, and is often worse when lying down.
• Muffled or reduced hearing, because fluid behind the eardrum dulls sound.
• A feeling of fullness or pressure, as if the ear is plugged.
• Ear drainage of clear, yellow, or bloody fluid. This can mean the eardrum has ruptured, which usually relieves the pain and typically heals on its own.
• Mild to moderate fever.
• Trouble sleeping, since pressure worsens when lying flat.
• Dizziness or balance changes, because a middle-ear infection can affect balance.

Symptoms in Babies and Young Children

Infants cannot describe an earache, so watch for behavior. A child with an ear infection may tug or pull at the ear, cry more than usual, sleep poorly, become fussy or irritable, or feed less because sucking and swallowing change ear pressure. A fever often comes with it.

Swimmer’s Ear vs. Middle-Ear Infection

Itching, redness, and pain when you tug on the outer ear point to swimmer’s ear, an infection of the ear canal, rather than a middle-ear infection behind the eardrum. Both are treatable, but swimmer’s ear usually needs antibiotic ear drops.

Which Symptoms Are Dangerous

Most of the symptoms above are uncomfortable but not dangerous. The concerning ones are swelling or redness behind the ear, sudden hearing loss, facial drooping, a very high fever, stiff neck, or confusion. These suggest the infection may be spreading and need emergency evaluation. To learn exactly when those signs mean the ER, see when to go to the ER for ear infections.

For a complete guide, see our ear infections page. Bellaire ER is open 24/7 at 5302 Bellaire Blvd. Walk in anytime or call (713) 660-0001.