What Is a Middle Ear Infection?
5. Complications
Middle ear infections will cause complications in a small number of cases. This includes the potential of a perforated ear drum. A perforated ear drum will usually heal itself in 3 days or so, but surgery may be needed to repair the damage in some cases. Another potential symptom is that the infection can cause permanent damage to the infected ear.
A damaged ear can mean hearing loss for the patient. When this occurs in children, it may mean that the patient suffers from developmental delays, including speech problems. There is also a chance that the infection can spread to elsewhere in the body, and this can even result in potentially life-threatening conditions like meningitis.
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