Earaches

What is it?

Earaches are common in children. Most children will have at least one earache by the time they are 6 years old. Ear pain is often caused by a build-up of fluid behind the tympanic membrane (eardrum) in a part of the ear called the middle ear. This happens when the eustachian tube, a drainage tube from the middle ear to the back of the throat, becomes blocked. Blockage can happen due to colds, allergies and adenoid swelling. When the eustachian tube is blocked, middle ear fluid accumulates and causes pain.

Another reason for ear pain is a middle ear infection (otitis media). The middle ear may become infected as bacteria and viruses from the nose and throat invade the middle ear through the eustachian tube. Children are more susceptible to middle ear infections because their eustachian tubes are shorter, narrower and lie more horizontally than those of adults, making blockage and infections more likely.

Infections of the ear canal (external ear infection, "swimmer's ear", otitis externa) - the part of the ear canal that leads to the outside - are also a cause of earache, and can result from too much moisture in the ear.

Occasionally, ear pain can also be the result of a ruptured eardrum or earwax build-up.