{"id":2278,"date":"2023-11-22T18:30:31","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T23:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/?p=2278"},"modified":"2023-11-22T18:30:55","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T23:30:55","slug":"are-ear-infections-contagious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/are-ear-infections-contagious\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Ear Infections Contagious?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Ear infections, also known as otitis media, is an infection in the middle ear. <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29262176\/\">It is common and can occur at any age<\/a>. Ear infections aren\u2019t contagious, but the viruses and infections that sometimes lead to ear infections oftentimes are contagious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s helpful to know the causes and symptoms of ear infections. Knowing so will help get you back to your coffee dates at Left Bank Coffee House after treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"causes-and-symptoms\">Causes and Symptoms<\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1254\" height=\"836\" src=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Woman-sneezes-from-allergies-.jpg\" alt=\"Woman sneezes from allergies \" class=\"wp-image-2281\" style=\"width:534px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Woman-sneezes-from-allergies-.jpg 1254w, https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Woman-sneezes-from-allergies--768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1254px) 100vw, 1254px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/ent\/ear-infection\/\">Ear infections<\/a> occur when the Eustachian tube, the tube running from the ear to the back of the throat, becomes congested with fluid. The fluid can be present due to a variety of causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few causes include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/allergist\/allergy-types\/\">Allergies<\/a>: Allergens can sometimes cause the Eustachian tube to become irritated or inflamed. Congestion from a runny nose caused by allergies can also become lodged in the tube, resulting in an ear infection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><\/em>Viruses and bacteria: <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29262176\/\">Streptococcus pneumoniae&nbsp;and&nbsp;Haemophilusinfluenzae<\/a><em> can cause illnesses that result in inflammation and congestion.<\/em><em><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><\/em><em>Adenoids: Enlarged adenoids, especially in children, can cause the Eustachian tube to become constricted, allowing for buildup, resulting in an ear infection. <\/em><em><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re unsure how to identify an ear infection, you can observe the following symptoms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ear pain in one or both ears<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Muffled hearing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fluid drainage<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sore throat and fever<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Young children often don\u2019t have the ability to express when they think they have an ear infection, so watching for pulling or tugging on the ears and abnormal irritability is helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"treatment-options\">Treatment Options<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Most ear infections will resolve on their own. Repeated ear infections or ear infections accompanied by fever should receive medical attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your doctor may prescribe over-the-counter pain medications to relieve discomfort caused by an ear infection. Your doctor may also prescribe an antibiotic, depending on your illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ear infections are not contagious, but the illnesses that accompany them often are, so it\u2019s important to remember to wash your hands and avoid contaminating others when you\u2019re ill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have further questions about ear infections, schedule an appointment with ENT &#038; Allergy Specialists &#8211; Ear Nose and Throat Physicians and Surgeons today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/what-to-know-about-nasal-irrigation\/\" class=\"related-post\">What To Know about Nasal Irrigation<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/understanding-and-managing-summer-sinus-infections\/\" class=\"related-post\">Understanding and Managing Summer Sinus Infections<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/common-causes-of-an-itchy-throat\/\" class=\"related-post\">Common Causes of an Itchy Throat<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ear infections, also known as otitis media, is an infection in the middle ear. It is common and can occur at any age. Ear infections aren\u2019t contagious, but the viruses and infections that sometimes lead to ear infections oftentimes are contagious. It\u2019s helpful to know the causes and symptoms of ear infections. Knowing so will&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-allergy","category-ent"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}