Pregnancy SmartSite^TM

• Home
• Email
• Site Map
• Contact

• Normal Pregnancy
• Labor & Delivery
• Complications
• After Your Child Is Born

Normal Pregnancy

Staying Healthy

Alcohol and pregnancy Managing your weight gain in pregnancy Steps to take before you get pregnant When you need to gain more weight during pregnancy

What to expect during pregnancy

Aches and pains during pregnancy Choosing the right practitioner Common symptoms during pregnancy Hyperemesis Gravidarum Morning sickness Pregnancy and travel Pregnancy and work Problems sleeping during pregnancy Skin and hair changes during pregnancy Teenage pregnancy

Preparing to go home with your baby

Cribs and crib safety Eat right during pregnancy Preparing your other children

Visits and Tests

Amniocentesis Chorionic villus sampling Genetic counseling before pregnancy Glucose tolerance test-pregnancy Monitoring your baby before labor Nuchal translucency Prenatal care in your first trimester Prenatal care in your second trimester Prenatal care in your third trimester

Otitis

Definition

Otitis is a term for infection or inflammation of the ear.

Causes

Otitis can affect the inner or outer parts of the ear. The condition can be:

• Acute ear infection -- Starts suddenly and lasts for a short period of time. It is often painful.

• Chronic ear infection -- Occurs when the ear infection does not go away or keeps coming back. It may cause long-term damage to the ear.

Based on location otitis can be:

• Otitis externa (swimmer's ear) -- Involves the outer ear and ear canal. A more severe form can spread into the bones and cartilage around the ear.

• Otitis media (ear infection) -- Involves the middle ear, which is located just behind the eardrum.

• Otitis media with effusion -- Occurs when there is thick or sticky fluid behind the eardrum in the middle ear, but there is no ear infection. Also called serous otitis media.

References

Chole RA, Sharon JD. Chronic otitis media, mastoiditis, and petrositis. In: Flint PW, Francis HW, Haughey BH, et al, eds. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 140.

Matlock AG, Pfaff JA. Otolaryngology. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 58.

Pelton SI. Otitis externa, otitis media, and mastoiditis. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 61.

Review Date: 7/16/2024

Reviewed By: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.