 otitis media (latin for "inflammation of the middle ear") or tympanitis is the medical term for middle ear inflammation. there are 2 major types of otitis media: acute otitis media and otitis media with effusion. the former is usually symptomatic, especially ear pain (otalgia), whereas the latter is most commonly without acute symptoms. chronic suppurative otitis media, incorrectly called âchronic otitis media,â is less common and is a complication of acute otitis media, and is associated with perforation of the ear drum, with or without drainage; all 3 of these conditions are most frequently associated with hearing loss. otitis media is very common in childhood but can occur at any age. all otitis media is middle-ear disease, but all middle-ear diseases and disorders are not otitis media, such as cholesteatoma, congenital malformations of the middle-ear. ==signs and symptoms== an integral symptom of acute otitis media is ear pain; other possible symptoms include fever, and irritability (in infants). since an episode of otitis media is usually precipitated by an upper respiratory tract infection (uri), there often are accompanying symptoms like cough and nasal discharge. otorrhea, which is a discharge from the ear, can be caused by acute otitis media with perforation of the ear drum, chronic suppurative otitis media, tympanostomy tube otorrhea, or acute otitis externa. trauma, such as a basilar skull fracture, can also lead to otorrhea due to cerebral spinal drainage from the brain and its covering (meninges). ==causes== the common cause of all forms of otitis media is dysfunction of the eustachian tube. this is usually due to inflammation of the mucous membranes in the nasopharynx, which in turn can be caused by a viral uri or possibly by allergies.{{cite web |url=http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/859316-overview#aw2aab6b2b4aa |title=acut
Audiology Diseases_of_middle_ear_and_mastoid Otitis Pediatrics