Chronic Ear Disease | Riley Children's Health

Ear infections are common in children. Most ear infections are resolved with a short course of antibiotics. Ear infections that occur with the common cold can sometimes be resolved by simply letting the cold run its course. Your child may have a chronic ear disease if an ear infection cannot be resolved with normal treatment or the symptoms of an ear infection reoccur after treatment.

Chronic ear disease is also accompanied by the symptoms and signs of ear infection, which are:

Ear pain and/or pressure
Low fever
Hearing loss
Non-waxy ear drainage
Pulling or tugging at the ear
Dizziness or imbalance

Two common types of chronic ear disease are:

Chronic otitis media. Chronic otitis media is an ongoing problem with fluid or infection in the middle ear. A small tube called the Eustachian tube connects the ear to the throat. The Eustachian tube drains fluid from the middle ear and circulates air to help keep even pressure on both sides of the eardrum. Infections can block the tube, which keeps it from draining. This causes pressure and fluid to build up in the ear.
Cholesteatoma. Cholesteatoma is an abnormal growth of skin in the middle ear. It can be caused by ongoing pressure problems in the middle ear, frequent ear infections or by a problem with the eardrum. Over time, the growth can get bigger, damaging the tiny bones of the ear. This can cause hearing loss. Without treatment, cholesteatoma can continue to grow and cause dizziness, permanent hearing loss or loss of control over some of the muscles in the face.

Diagnosis of Chronic Ear Disease

To diagnose chronic ear disease, your child’s doctor will use a microscope or a small, handheld device called an otoscope to look inside the ears. He or she will test your child’s hearing to see if there is any hearing loss from chronic ear disease. The doctor may also order a computed tomography (CT) scan to visualize the inside of the ear.

Treatments

Treatment for chronic ear disease depends on what is causing your child’s symptoms.

Treatments for chronic otitis media may include:

Antibiotics. These medicines treat the infection in the middle ear.
Ear tubes. These are surgically inserted to help equalize the pressure in the middle ear. This improves hearing and can help reduce the number of ear infections your child gets.
Surgery. This can fix problems with drainage in the ear. It can also repair or replace the bones of the ear if they have been damaged by repeat infections or cholesteatoma.

Cholesteatoma requires surgery to remove the growth.

Your child may need hearing rehabilitation and hearing aids to help restore hearing damage from chronic ear disease.

Key Points to Remember

Your child may have a chronic ear disease if an ear infection cannot be resolved with normal treatment or the symptoms of an ear infection reoccur after treatment.
Two common types of chronic ear disease are chronic otitis media and cholesteatoma.
Chronic otitis media is an ongoing infection or persistent fluid in the middle ear.
Cholesteatoma is an abnormal growth of skin in the middle ear.
Treatment for chronic ear disease depends on what is causing your child’s symptoms.

Support Services & Resources

Visit the trusted online resources below to learn more about chronic ear disease.

Riley at IU Health offers a broad range of supportive services to make life better for families who choose us for their children's care.

Learn More About Riley Support Services

American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery: Chronic Otitis Media

Watch a video about middle ear infection (chronic otitis media).

American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery: Cholesteatoma

Learn more about the causes of and treatment for cholesteatoma.

Chronic Ear Disease Research

Doctors at Riley at IU Health are currently researching new treatments for chronic ear disease. Ask your child's doctor for more information about this research.

Departments Treating This Condition

Ear, Nose & Throat