Learn what a typical Ear infection with discharge prognosis is at Consumer Reports Health.

Ear infection with discharge

What will happen to me?

If you have had an ear infection with discharge for a while, you may find that you don't hear as well as you did before. If the infection isn't treated, this might get worse. There's also a slight risk of more serious complications if you don't get treatment.

A long-term (chronic) infection in your middle ear can cause more damage than a short-term (acute) infection. You or your child could get hearing loss. Some studies show that most children who have long-term ear infection with discharge lose some of their hearing. But, these studies looked only at children in Africa, Asia and South America, so the results may not apply to children in the United States.

Source:
Bastos I.
Otitis media and hearing loss among children in developing countries.
University of Malmo. Malmo, Italy; 1994.

Source:
Jacob A, Rupa V, Job A, et al.
Hearing impairment and otitis media in a rural primary school in south India.
International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 1997; 39: 133-138.

Source:
Seely DR, Gloyd SS, Wright AD, et al.
Hearing loss prevalence and risk factors among Sierra Leonean children.
Archives of Otolaryngology - head and neck surgery. 1995; 121: 853-858.

Source:
Antarasena S, Antarasena N, Lekagul S, et al.
The epidemiology of deafness in Thailand.
Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery. 1988; 3: 9-13.

⁴

Your child could also get problems at school. If your child has a long-term ear infection, it could cause hearing difficulties. And if a child can't hear properly during his or her first three years of life, it's more difficult to learn to speak and understand language. This can lead to problems at school.

Source:
Teele DW, Klein JO, Chase C, et al.
Otitis media in infancy and intellectual ability, school achievement, speech, and language at age 7 years.
Journal of Infectious Diseases. 1990; 162: 685-694.

⁵

Rarer, more serious conditions

The infection spreading to the large bone behind your ear (the mastoid bone). This can happen if the infection is not treated. Doctors call this

mastoiditis
The bony area that sticks out slightly behind your ear is called your mastoid process. Mastoiditis occurs when this bone becomes inflamed. You can get mastoiditis when the inside of your ear is infected.

mastoiditis. It can cause severe pain, swelling and tenderness behind your ear.

Source:
Osma U, Cureoglu S, Hosoglu S.
The complications of chronic otitis media: report of 93 cases.
Journal of Laryngology and Otology. 2000; 114: 97-100.

⁶ It's usually treated with antibiotics, although some people need an operation if antibiotics don't work.

Source:
Medline Plus.
Mastoiditis
October 2008. Available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001034.htm (accessed on 30 April 2009).

⁷
Growth of extra skin in the ear. If you get repeated ear infections, and you have problems with the pressure in your ears, skin cells from the eardrum can start to grow into your middle ear. This is called a cholesteatoma. It's very rare, especially in developed countries like the United States. But if it's not treated, it can damage the tiny bones in the middle ear that carry sound waves. That can cause hearing problems. The extra skin is usually removed by an operation on the eardrum.
An untreated ear infection can spread into your brain and cause

meningitis
If you have a swelling in the thin layers of tissue that surround your brain and your spinal cord, it's called meningitis. It's most often caused by an infection with certain kinds of bacteria or viruses. Meningitis can give you a severe headache and a stiff neck. And you may find it difficult to keep your eyes open in the light. Meningitis is a life-threatening disease. If you have these symptoms, you should get to a hospital right away.

meningitis or brain abscesses (swellings full of pus). This is very rare, especially in developed countries like the United States.

Remember, the risk of getting life-threatening complications in this country is very low. Treatments are readily available to stop an ear infection from getting serious.

Sources for the information on this page:

Bastos I.Otitis media and hearing loss among children in developing countries.University of Malmo. Malmo, Italy; 1994.

Jacob A, Rupa V, Job A, et al.Hearing impairment and otitis media in a rural primary school in south India.International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 1997; 39: 133-138.

Seely DR, Gloyd SS, Wright AD, et al.Hearing loss prevalence and risk factors among Sierra Leonean children.Archives of Otolaryngology - head and neck surgery. 1995; 121: 853-858.

Antarasena S, Antarasena N, Lekagul S, et al.The epidemiology of deafness in Thailand.Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery. 1988; 3: 9-13.

Teele DW, Klein JO, Chase C, et al.Otitis media in infancy and intellectual ability, school achievement, speech, and language at age 7 years.Journal of Infectious Diseases. 1990; 162: 685-694.

Osma U, Cureoglu S, Hosoglu S.The complications of chronic otitis media: report of 93 cases.Journal of Laryngology and Otology. 2000; 114: 97-100.

Medline Plus.MastoiditisOctober 2008. Available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001034.htm (accessed on 30 April 2009).

This information was last updated on May 01, 2009

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