What causes people to get ear infections?

Answer 1

Possible causes of middle ear infections in adults:

• Mucus - Sometimes the middle ear space gets filled with mucus, e.g. during a cold or other infections. The cold can cause the tubes to swell enough to become blocked trapping fluids inside your ear. This makes it an ideal place for viruses, germs and bacteria to grow and cause an infection

• Allergies - (like hay fever or nutritional allergies) can also cause inflammation and the build up of fluids in the middle ear. This fluid can again cause swelling of the ear drum if infected by a virus or bacteria

• Foreign particles - In very few cases foreign particles in the ear are blocking the fluids with the same known results

Possible causes of ear infections in the outer ear canal (swimmer's ear)

• Outer ear canal infection is largely caused by bacteria or fungi. Moist and wet conditions in the ear can stimulate infections (swimmer's ear). So a lot of swimming, excessive bathing or frequent exposure to water grows your chances of infection

• Another cause can be the over-enthusiastically cleaning or scratching of the ear canal (e.g. with a cotton bud or even q-tip). The lining in there is very thin and easily damaged and infected

• Ear wax can also cause a feeling of blockage, itching of the area, mild inflammation and pain and sometimes even hearing loss

• Nutritional deficiency, skin allergies and other infections can also be one of the causes

• Finally an ear injury may be the cause of the infection

Answer 2

Between your middle ear and your throat there is a passage called the Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tubes (you have one on each side) keep pressure from building up by letting air move in and out of your middle ear. When you were young, especially before you turned 3, the Eustachian tubes were very small and less able to keep germs out.

The Eustachian tubes get longer and usually work better in older kids, but they can still cause problems. If you have allergies or catch a cold, the Eustachian tubes can get blocked up and let germs get in the middle ear. Then the number of germs can grow inside your middle ear and cause an infection.

You do not catch ear infections from other people, though you might catch a cold that then leads to an ear infection. If you have an ear infection, you might have ear pain, a fever, or trouble hearing.

Answer 3

Yes. As long as you've got ears, you have a chance of getting an ear infection. Even though children get more ear infections, that does not mean adults can not. Ear infections in children are generally caused by inflammation of the eustachian tube.

Answer 4

Ear infections are caused by bacteria as a result of fluid building in the ear. The fluid builds behind the eardrum and won't drain because it gets trapped (often during colds or sinus infections), which can cause an infection. http://www.babycenter.com/0_ear-infections_83.bc