{"id":10960,"date":"2020-10-29T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T13:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=10960"},"modified":"2021-12-02T15:47:09","modified_gmt":"2021-12-02T21:47:09","slug":"adults-can-get-ear-infections-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/adults-can-get-ear-infections-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Adults can get ear infections, too"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ear infections are incredibly common. Most people will have one at some point during their lifetime \u2013 usually in early childhood.<\/p>\n

And while it\u2019s much less common, it\u2019s possible for adults to get ear infections, too.<\/p>\n

Kristin Downs, APRN, explains the types of ear infections, as well as their symptoms and treatments. Kristin often treats common ailments like ear infections in her role at OSF OnCall Urgent Care<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Types of ear infections<\/h2>\n

There are two main types of ear infection, depending on whether the infection is in the inner ear or outer ear.<\/p>\n

An inner ear infection happens when fluid and inflammation build up in the middle ear, behind the ear drum.<\/p>\n

An outer ear infection happens when the ear canal and outer ear become infected. Outer ear infections are sometimes called \u201cswimmer\u2019s ear.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Symptoms of ear infections<\/h2>\n

An adult with an inner ear infection might experience:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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