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Ear infections one of the most frequent reasons that parents take their children to the doctor The usual type of ear infection is called otitis media it s caused by tenderness and disease of the middle ear and is located positioned behind the eardrum An acute infection of the ear develops quickly and is painful The ear is the organ where the sense of hearing and balance are found Anatomically it is divided into three parts External ear formed by the auricular pavilion ear and the external auditory canal Middle ear constituted mainly by the chain of bones anvil hammer and stirrup and Internal ear constituted by the snail and the semicircular ducts There are three classifications of ear infections each with their own time frame and their respective antibiotics used to treat each otitis media On average a middle ear infection lasts approximately two to five days Middle ear infections tend to fade on their own in some cases fluid may remain in the middle ear for up to six weeks prior to treatment with antibiotics The fluid remaining in the middle ear is caused because of inflammation and because of the dysfunction and the noninfectious blockage of the eustachian tubes The fluid may not cause pain or can reduce or distort hearing in both ears at the same time The liquid lasts for a long time or returns again and again although there is no infection Most middle ear infections heal within two to five days and do not need any specific treatment NIH Publication 2013
