MedyBlog - A medical blog by doctors

The middle ear infection, i.e., Otitis media, is the most common type of ear infection and one of the most frequent infections in the human body. To understand why  middle ear infections  are so common, we must first look at the anatomy of the middle ear. Middle Ear Anatomy The middle ear is shaped like a room or cuboids with six walls with one cubic centimeter volume. The middle ear has bones on five sides, the sixth side being the eardrum or the tympanic membrane. The eardrum comprises three layers: an outer skin lining, a fibrous coat framework in the middle, and an inner mucous membrane. For the eardrum to vibrate precisely as per the sound, the air pressure in the middle ear must be equal to atmospheric pressure, for which it needs a constant air supply. In other words, for it to vibrate to its total capacity to deliver good hearing, the air pressure on both sides of the eardrum must be equal. When we swallow, air travels from the back of our nose, i.e., the nasopharynx, ...

  Do you know that doctors in a pediatric emergency ward always carry an Otoscope to check for ear infections in crying babies? That is how common ear infections are in babies. The main cause of ear infection in babies Babies below six months love to sleep, keeping milk in their mouths. Milk has a protein that induces sleep and babies tend to sleep while they are consuming milk. In the mouth, we have many bacteria that can ferment the milk faster than in normal room conditions. This fermented milk and bacteria in the mouth can enter the middle ear through a Eustachian or auditory tube. These bacteria along with milk can enter the ear through auditory tubes and this is what causes ear infections in a baby . If this milk enters the nose from the nasopharynx, it causes rhinitis, i.e., cold.   Risk factors in infants below six months The eustachian tube is a tube that allows airflow from the nasopharynx to the middle ear. These eustachian tubes in babies below six mon...