Next to the common cold, otitis media is the most common illness diagnosed during childhood. It's also one of the most common reasons for the prescription of antibiotics and other medications to children. Middle ear infections are common in children between the ages of one month and six years, and most common under age three. Ear infections can run in families, and boys are more affected than girls. Some children develop ear infections a few days after a cold starts.
Some children have one infection after another, whereas others never have any.
Conditions that increase a child's risk of ear infections are frequent colds, allergic runny noses, bottle propping, exposure to smoke and attendance in group settings such as child care. Symptoms result from swelling of the middle ear. The child may cry persistently, tug at the ear, have a fever, have trouble sleeping, be irritable and unable to hear well. When infection occurs, pus develops, pushes on the eardrum, and causes pain and often fever. Sometimes the pressure is so great that the eardrum bursts and the pus drains out into the ear canal.