Otitis media - symptoms

Mareike Müller is a freelance writer in the medical department and assistant doctor for neurosurgery in Düsseldorf. She studied human medicine in Magdeburg and gained a lot of practical medical experience during her stays abroad on four different continents.

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There are many signs of an otitis media. Symptoms can range from typical earache to more rarely vomiting.Overall, patients often feel exhausted. Here you can read everything you need to know about otitis media: Symptoms.

ICD codes for this disease: ICD codes are internationally recognized codes for medical diagnoses. They can be found, for example, in doctor's letters or on certificates of incapacity for work. H65H67

Otitis media: symptoms that are typical

Especially the beginning is typical for an otitis media. Signs of an acute illness are sudden, severe earache. They occur on one or both sides. A knocking or pounding in the ear is also a common sign of otitis media. Symptoms such as hearing impairment or dizziness can also occur.

If there is a purulent otitis media, the eardrum can tear. In this case, purulent-bloody fluid comes out of the ear. The earache often disappears suddenly.

In addition to these characteristic symptoms of otitis media, there are other signs.

Middle ear infection: symptoms that are non-specific

Many patients also show unspecific symptoms of the disease. These include symptoms of otitis media such as:

• Fever (especially in young children)
• Fatigue and feeling very sick
• Nausea and vomiting

Apart from that, there are other symptoms that can occur in otitis media. These have something to do with the cause that is responsible for the otitis media. Symptoms such as a runny nose or cough, for example, indicate that an infection of the upper respiratory tract originally caused the infection of the middle ear.

Middle ear infection: Symptoms often vary from person to person

Like any disease, otitis media also has a different course in every person. For example, there are also cases of otitis media without pain or otitis media without fever. The age of the patient also plays a role and influences otitis media symptoms. Adults, for example, are less likely to have a fever than children. These in turn generally show symptoms such as fever, increased irritability and constant touching of the affected ear with otitis media.

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