As much as earache may occur in adults, health practitioners say it’s more common in young children.

Earaches may affect one or both ears, but the majority of the time it’s in one ear. It may be constant or come and go, and the pain may be dull, sharp, or burning.

How does it come about?

Protais Munyarugamba, Ear, Neck, and Throat (ENT) specialist says ear infections can be either bacterial or viral infections.

He says this can occur in the middle ear, the part of the ear just behind the eardrum, as well as the outer and inner ear. Also, he notes that this often clears up on its own but can be painful due to inflammation or fluid buildup.

Aside from that, Munyarugamba says ear infections can develop from infected adenoids (these are glands on the roof of the mouth behind the nose) that help protect the body from infections.

The infection, he says can spread from these glands to the nearby ends of the Eustachian tubes.

 In addition to this, the medic points out that the injury, infection, and irritation in the ear may cause earaches too.

He further notes that it’s vital for people to understand that ear infections can be chronic or acute.

Acute ear infections, he says are painful but short in duration while chronic ear infections either don’t clear up or recur many times, which can cause damage to the middle and inner ear, which is infrequently permanent. 

Risk factors for ear infections

Studies show that ear infections occur most commonly in young children because they have short and narrow Eustachian tubes.

Also, it’s indicated that about 80 percent of children develop an acute ear infection at some point.

Dr Gratien Ngabo, another ENT consultant in Kigali says children who are bottle-fed have a higher incidence of ear infections than their breastfed counterparts.

In addition, he says there are also some other factors that might increase the risk one getting an ear infection, which include the changes in temperature and humidity, exposure to cigarette smoke among many others.

According to Ngabo, in most cases, ear infections normally clear up without intervention, but they may recur, and for this reason, he advises that it’s essential for parents to ensure their kids are checked by a specialist in case there is an ear infection.

If not well treated, he says some of the complications may include; hearing loss, and speech or language delay in children, which is more common when there is chronic fluid in the middle ear.

Meningitis, which is a bacterial infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, can also occur in severe cases.

Treatment

Ear pain can feel unbearable, making it difficult for those suffering from it to sleep. Experts advise that people who are experiencing severe ear pain should always seek medical attention.

However, there are remedies that one can use at home to relieve less severe earaches, or as a means of reducing pain.     

Munyarugamba says in mild cases where antibiotics are not needed,   one can use a cold pack to help ease the pain of an earache.

Also, it’s advised that wrapping ice in paper towels or freezing a cold pack, covering it with a light cloth and then holding this to the ear and the area immediately under the ear for 20 minutes can help relieve the pain.

Another caution, health experts warn that in case of ear infection in children, parents shouldn’t give children aspirin without their doctor’s instruction.

It’s believed that aspirin is a preventable risk factor for developing Reye’s syndrome, a rare disorder that causes brain and liver damage.

Meanwhile, the preventions lie in washing hands often, avoiding overly crowded areas as well as breastfeeding infants.