Middle Ear Infection : Complications

With treatment, the prognosis for acute otitis media is very good. However, long-lasting accumulations of fluid within the middle ear are a risk both for difficulties with hearing and speech, and for the repeated development of ear infections. Fur...

The prognosis of acute otitis media is excellent. The duration is variable. There may be improvement within 48 hours even without any treatment. Treatment with antibiotics for a week to 10 days is usually effective.

Meningitis is swelling and irritation (inflammation) of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. This inflammation causes changes in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. See also: Aseptic meningitis; Meningitis - gram-negative; Meningitis - H. influenzae; Meningitis - meningococcal; Meningitis - pneumococcal; Meningitis - staphylococcal; Meningitis - tuberculous.

The following Clinical Topic Tour provides an overview of meningitis and was adapted from materials published by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Cancer Institute, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Meningitis is a serious inflammation of the meninges, the membranes (lining) that surround the brain and spinal cord. It can be of bacterial, viral, or fungal origin.

Meningitis is the most common serious manifestation of infection of the central nervous system (CNS). Inflammatory involvement of the subarachnoid space with meningeal irritation leads to the classic triad of headache, fever and meningism, and to a pleocytosis in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

An inflammation of the meninges, most often caused by infection. Meningitis is a potentially fatal inflammation of the meninges, membranes which encase the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis is most commonly caused by an infection of bacteria, viruses, or fungi, although there can be other causes, including bleeding into the meninges, cancer, or diseases of the immune system. The inflammation causes swelling of the brain, whose fragile tissues are pressed against the skull. Brain cells in these areas can become damaged and eventually die. The most classic symptoms of meningitis include fever, headache, vomiting, photophobia (extreme sensitivity to light), irritability, lethargy, and a stiff neck. The disease progresses with seizures, confusion, and eventually coma. Infants, however, may not show these signs. A baby's immune system is not yet developed enough to mount a fever in response to infection, so fever may be absent. Some infants with meningitis may have seizures as their only identifiable symptom. The origin of an infection leading to meningitis varies according to an individual's age, habits, living environment, and health status. In newborns, the most common agents of meningitis are those contracted from the mother, including Group B streptococci, Escherichia coli, and Listeria mono cy to gene s. Older children are more frequently infected by Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, while adults are infected by S. pneumoniae and N. meningitidis. N. meningitidis is the only organism that can cause epidemics of meningitis. Epidemics of meningitis can occur in crowded conditions, such as when a child in a day care falls ill with N. meningitidis meningitis and exposes other children and workers to the infection. Viral causes of meningitis include herpes simplex, mumps and measles, chicken pox, rabies, a number of virases which are acquired through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Non-bacterial, or inflammatory, meningitis is most often caused by a virus, but can also be triggered by some medications. Inflammatory meningitis can also be caused by the presence of certain atypical cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Other causes of meningitis include fungal infections, malignancies, and syphilis. Patients with AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) are more susceptible to certain infectious causes of meningitis, including certain fungal agents, as well as by the agent that causes tuberculosis. Meningitis can damage the brain in several ways. The agent of infection can damage the brain tissue directly or cause swelling of brain tissue, compressing it against the inner surface of the skull. Swelling of the meninges may interfere with the normal absorption of cerebrospinal fluid by blood vessels, causing accumulation of the fluid and resultant pressure on the brain. Inflammation may reduce the blood-brain barrier's effectiveness in preventing the passage of toxic substances into brain tissue. The most frequent long-term effects of meningitis include deafness and blindness, due to compression of specific nerves and parts of the brain controlling hearing and sight. Patients can also develop seizures. In addition, scarring of the meninges may result in obstruction of the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid, causing it to accumulate. Diagnosis can be verified by certain manipulations of the patient's head; for example, lowering the head (chin toward chest) is very painful for a patient with meningitis. However, the most important diagnostic test is the lumbar puncture (LP), commonly known as the spinal tap. This procedure involves the insertion of a needle into a space between the vertebrae in the lower back, and the withdrawal of a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid. Abnormally low levels of glucose, a normal ingredient of the fluid, indicate bacterial meningitis. Another indicator of meningitis is the presence of white blood cells in the cerebrospinal fluid Antibiotic medications (forms

Bacterial meningitis Epidemiology and microbiology: the overall annual incidence of bacterial meningitis is about 2?3/100,000, with peaks of incidence in infants and adolescents. Integration of vaccines into the UK vaccination programme against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and more recently against group C meningococccus has led to a marked decline in cases of Hib and Group C meningococcal meningitis and has significantly reduced the overall incidence of bacterial meningitis.

Meningitis is a potentially fatal inflammation of the meninges, the thin, membranous covering of the brain and the spinal cord. Meningitis is most commonly caused by infection (by bacteria, viruses, or fungi), although it can also be caused by bleeding into the meninges, cancer , diseases of the immune system, and an inflammatory response to certain types of chemotherapy or other chemical agents. The most serious and difficult-to-treat types of meningitis tend to be those caused by bacteria.

Although the word meningitis suggests an inflammation of the meninges only, there is always some involvement of the most superficial parts of the brain that are contiguous to the meninges. Often there are also alterations in the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Meningitis is a potentially fatal inflammation of the meninges, the thin, membranous covering of the brain and the spinal cord. Meningitis is most commonly caused by infection by bacteria, viruses, or fungi, although it can also be caused by bleeding into the meninges, cancer , diseases of the immune system, and an inflammatory response to certain types of chemotherapy or other chemical agents. The most serious and the most difficult to treat types of meningitis tend to be those caused by bacteria.

Meningitis is a potentially fatal inflammation of the meninges, the thin, membranous covering of the brain and the spinal cord . Meningitis is most commonly caused by infection ( bacteria , viruses , or fungi ), although it can also be caused by bleeding into the meninges, cancer , diseases of the immune system , and an inflammatory response to certain types of chemotherapy or other chemical agents. The most serious and difficult-to-treat types of meningitis tend to be those caused by bacteria.

Encephalitis is an acute inflammatory process that affects brain tissue and is almost always accompanied by inflammation of the adjacent meninges (tissues lining the brain). There are many types of encephalitis, most of which are caused by viral infections. Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes (meninges) that surround the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis may be caused by many different viruses and bacteria, or by diseases that can cause inflammation of tissues of the body without infection (such as systemic lupus erythematosus). Viral meningitis is sometimes called aseptic meningitis to indicate it is not the result of a bacterial infection.

Hearing loss is any degree of impairment of the ability to comprehend sound.

Hearing loss is any degree of impairment of the ability to apprehend sound.

Hearing loss is any degree of impairment of the ability to apprehend sound.

Hearing loss is the total or partial inability to hear sound in one or both ears. See also: Hearing loss of aging

Hearing impairment is the temporary or permanent loss of some or all hearing in one or both ears.

Hearing begins in the womb—pregnant women have reported feeling the fetus move in response to loud noises at 31 weeks (7 weeks before full-term delivery). Newborns are sensitive to the location, frequency, pitch, and volume of sounds. Loud sounds startle them, while rhythmic, repetitive sounds tend to soothe them. During the second month of life, they become sensitive to a wider range of sounds, reacting to a variety of medium-range sounds that can affect them differently depending on their mood. (For example, a child at this age may enjoy the sound of a vacuum cleaner when she is feeling happy and become upset by it when she is in an irritable mood.) It has been found that infants can hear higher frequencies than adults can (a fact that may be related to the adult instinct to produce "baby talk" at higher pitches than those of their normal speaking voices). In addition, babies can detect a broad range of pitches and discriminate among different speech sounds (better, in some cases, than adults). At the age of six months, they can tell the difference between sounds that differ as little as 10 decibels in loudness. Parents can test the hearing of a young infant at home by clapping or making some other loud noise and seeing if it elicits a startled response. By the age of six months, infants will look around for the source of the noise. Hearing should also be evaluated regularly by a child's pediatrician. Infants and children can have their hearing tested by audiometry, in which frequency perception is assessed by listening to sounds through earphones in a soundproof room; tympanometry, which works by measuring sound waves bouncing off the eardrum with a special probe inserted into the ear; and brain-stem auditory-evoked response (BAER), which measures brain waves through a test that is similar to an electroencephalogram (EEG). Approximately 1% of all children sustain some degree of hearing impairment, with 2 out of 1,000 suffering profound hearing loss. About 65% of these children are born deaf, and an additional 12% become deaf before the age of 3. A hearing loss delays speech and language acquisition, interferes with cognitive development, and disrupts progress in school. Even with the modern technology and level of health care available in the United States, hearing losses in children sometimes go undetected or unconfirmed for months or even years—significant hearing losses have gone undiagnosed in children as old as six. Early detection and intervention are crucial in preventing or minimizing developmental and educational delays. Hearing loss is most commonly categorized by which parts of the ear are affected. Conductive hearing loss is caused by a problem in the middle or outer ear that interferes with the conduction of sound to the inner ear, while sensorineural hearing loss involves an abnormality of the cochlea or auditory nerve in the inner ear. Mixed hearing loss indicates a combination of both of these types. Hearing impairments are also classified as prelingual (before a child can learn to speak) or postlingual (after language acquisition has occurred), and genetic or nongenetic (based on whether it is inherited). Yet another way hearing loss is classified is by severity. Normal hearing is generally defined as the ability to hear sounds of 15 decibels (dB) or less. A child with a mild hearing loss can only hear sounds that are between 15 and 40 or 45 dB or louder. At this level of hearing loss, speech and conversation are unaffected, but there is some difficulty hearing distant sounds. A moderate hearing loss means that only sounds registering 40 to 60 or 70 dB can be heard. At this level, the ability to hear normal conversation and form sounds is affected. With severe hearing loss, a child can only hear sounds that register 60 to 90 dB and needs a hearing aid to be able to discern more than an occasional word of conversation. A profound hearing loss is defined as the inability to hear sounds that are un

Cholesteatoma is a type of skin cyst located in the middle ear.

Chronic otitis media is inflammation or infection of the middle ear that persists or keeps coming back. See also: Acute otitis media

Mastoiditis is an infection of the mastoid bone of the skull. The mastoid is located just behind the outside ear.

A ruptured or perforated eardrum is an opening in the tympanic membrane (eardrum.

A perforated eardrum (tympanum perforation) is an opening or rupture in the eardrum (tympanic membrane), the thin membrane that separates the outer ear canal from the middle ear. A perforated eardrum may be caused by infection, trauma, or negative pressure from underwater diving or an airplane flight. The hole or rupture can cause temporary hearing loss, pain , and occasional discharge.

A perforated eardrum exists when there is a hole or rupture in the eardrum, the thin membrane that separates the outer ear canal from the middle ear. A perforated eardrum may cause temporary hearing loss and occasional discharge.

Tonsillitis is inflammation (swelling) of the tonsils. See also: Sore throat

Tonsillitis is an infection and swelling of the tonsils, which are oval-shaped masses of lymph gland tissue located on both sides of the back of the throat.

Tonsillitis is an infection and swelling of the tonsils, which are oval-shaped masses of lymph gland tissue located on both sides of the back of the throat.

Tonsillitis is an infection and swelling of the tonsils, which are oval-shaped masses of lymph gland tissue located on both sides of the back of the throat.