Earache with a cold

introduction

For many people, pain in the ear often comes with a cold. In most cases the common cold occurs first, which can be followed by slight pain and later an otitis media. The earache is often described as pulsating or oppressive. They can be very annoying for those affected, as hearing loss sets in early on.It is also not uncommon for a permanent feeling of a closed and muffled ear to develop, which is often asymmetrically developed on both sides.

Why do earaches and colds occur so often at the same time?

Earache is a common accompanying symptom of the common cold. Many people have an increased risk of earache from mild infections. Likewise, other people with the common cold may have tears or sore throats more easily. Personal anatomy is to blame for these individual disease factors. The middle ear stands over the so-called "Tuba auditiva“, The ear trumpet, in connection with the upper throat. This ear trumpet is about 3.5 cm long on both sides in an adult. Their length can vary with the shape of the head, which makes infections of the middle ear easier or more difficult. In children, the ear trumpet is even shorter and therefore promotes otitis media. During a cold, the pathogens can spread through the pharynx into the ear trumpet and carry the germs into the middle ear. When the trumpet becomes mucous, the first feeling is that the ear is closed with a feeling of pressure. If the bacteria continue to spread, the pain will follow. Both the development and the treatment are therefore closely related, which means that when the cold gets better, the earache usually also subsides.

Find out more about the topic here: Sore throat and earache

treatment

A cold with an earache and other accompanying symptoms does not need to be treated in the vast majority of cases. Most complaints are due to cold virus infections. Antibiotic therapies do not work in these cases. Only symptomatic therapy to alleviate symptoms and ailments can be used to ease the time to healing. Pain medication, anti-inflammatory drugs and antipyretic agents can be taken. Likewise, many suitable home remedies can be used, which soothe the mucous membranes and also perform anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving tasks. The most important therapeutic steps of the common cold, however, consist in warmth and protection, as well as sufficient fluid intake.

Less often, colds can also be more persistent. After about a week, a doctor should be consulted to rule out bacteria as the cause of the disease. Signs of a bacterial infection are yellow-greenish mucus, longer duration of illness and severe impairment of the general condition. In these cases, antibiotic therapy may have to be used in order to combat the pathogens more specifically.

Read more on this topic at: Earache - what to do?

Inhale

In the case of a cold involving the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, various substances can be inhaled and help heal. In addition to medical inhalations, home remedies and natural substances in particular can be used sensibly. Typical blends consist of salt water, anti-inflammatory herbs like chamomile or sage, and essential oils. The liquids have to be heated to boiling point and the rising steam then inhaled. For better inhalation, a cloth should be placed over the head so that less vapors can escape. The purpose of this is to moisten dry or slimy mucous membranes with the water dissolved in the steam. This allows the mucus to be loosened and drained off better. In the case of earache in particular, the mucus loosening can provide an improvement, as the eustachian tube becomes open again and can be ventilated. The herbs or essential oils also have an anti-inflammatory effect on the mucous membranes.

Medication

Medication should only rarely be used for a cold with an earache. Since the disease is caused by viruses in most cases, there are few options for causal therapy. Only the symptoms can be treated with pain medication and decongestants on the mucous membranes. In the case of high fever and pain, drugs from the group of NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or diclofenac, can initially provide pain relief and anti-inflammatory effects. Decongestant nasal sprays can be used to ventilate the nose. In the acute case of a cold, nasal sprays can promote the drainage of mucus and promote healing, but beyond that they should not be used permanently. In the case of very stubborn colds with earache or accompanying symptoms of the bronchi and upper respiratory tract, a bacterial cause may be the underlying cause. In these cases, targeted therapy with antibiotics determined by a doctor must be carried out.

Home remedies

In many cases, home remedies can replace medication and medical treatment for a cold. With the exception of particularly stubborn pathogens or immune deficiencies, the immune system is almost always able to fight the common cold itself. Home remedies can help the immune system and relieve symptoms such as fever, pain, and nasal congestion. The most important home remedies in the fight against the common cold include sufficient water, vitamins, healthy and sufficient food, bed rest and sleep. In addition, inhalations can be used to moisten and dissolve the mucus in the airways. Hot soups, herbal and fruit teas, and hot lemon also have the purpose of supplying fluids and vitamins, promoting sweating and reducing inflammation. If the cold does not improve after more than a week, a visit to the doctor to clarify the causes more precisely is often inevitable.

Read more on this topic at: Earache home remedies

homeopathy

Homeopathic remedies can be used to support a cold with earache. They are intended to stimulate the body's self-healing powers and provide it with the information it needs to combat the pathogens. The most important remedies that are used in case of a cold are "Belladonna", "Nux vomica", "Phosphorus", "Aconitum" and "Bryonia". In order to treat an exact combination of cold symptoms with the right homeopathic remedy, a professional homeopath should be sought.

Read more on this topic at: Homeopathy for earache

When should i see the doctor?

In most cases, a cold can be cured without medical therapy. Nevertheless, in the case of stubborn inflammation, severe accompanying symptoms or a long duration of illness, a medical clarification must not be left out. It is not uncommon for a germ that needs treatment to be behind it or for an occasionally dangerous concomitant disease such as otitis media or pneumonia to occur. Even if the disease has lasted for well over a week, a medical examination must be considered.

What do I have to consider during pregnancy?

As a rule, a common cold is hardly a danger during pregnancy. However, more attention must be paid to the accompanying symptoms in order to detect severe inflammation in good time. Important warning signals are, for example, fever over 38.5 ° C, diarrhea and vomiting as well as illness lasting more than 2 weeks. In the event of uncertainty and other unusual accompanying symptoms, medical advice should be obtained as a precaution.

You must also be more careful when using medication than with other people. Various pain relievers and antibiotics can be harmful to pregnant women and must not be used. Self-medication treatment should therefore be avoided at all costs. Home remedies like teas, inhalations, water, bed rest, and sleep should come first for pregnant women. Essential oils should also only be used with caution and in consultation with the doctor. Some oils could be harmful during pregnancy.

Read more on this topic at: Common cold during pregnancy

Duration

The duration of the common cold can vary, but it can usually be assumed that the illness will last between 1 and 2 weeks. Important factors that influence the duration of the illness are the age of the patient, the causative pathogens, the state of the immune system, and the involvement of various organ systems and structures. A cold that is confined to the nose heals much faster than an inflammation of the paranasal sinuses with accompanying otitis media. The duration of illness can also be increased in older or particularly young people due to weaknesses in the immune system. In the presence of bacterial inflammation, the duration of the illness depends on the first time the antibiotic was taken. Depending on the antibiotic used, improvement can occur within 3 to 7 days.

causes

The common cause of colds is often small and harmless viral infections. These can occur seasonally favorably. As the name “common cold” suggests, most of these small inflammations occur during cold times of the year. The cold alone cannot cause the common cold, but it can weaken the immune system and make the mucous membranes vulnerable to viruses. The viruses can spread through the air in small droplets to the mucous membranes, where they multiply and cause typical cold symptoms. The most common viruses responsible are the "adenoviruses". One of the typical side effects of the common cold is earache, which is caused by the mucus and virus infestation of the ear trumpet. Complaints in the throat, nose and eyes are also spread via the tough, infectious mucus.

Read more on this topic at: The viral cold

Otitis media

The middle ear is a closed space that is also known as the "tympanic cavity". It connects the eardrum with the inner ear and transmits the acoustic signals via vibrations in the ossicles of the middle ear. The only open access to the middle ear is through the ear trumpet, a tube that connects the ear to the throat. Normally this is closed, but it can be opened briefly by pressure equalization or by swallowing. The most common reason for inflammation is the transmission of pathogens from the nose and throat. With a purulent otitis media, the entire tympanic cavity can fill with pus through the mucous membranes. In addition to earache, typical symptoms are hearing loss and possibly dizziness.

Read more on this topic at: Otitis media

Concomitant symptoms

Colds can be associated with very different symptoms and affected organ systems. The organs that are directly connected to the nose or throat via mucous membranes are most frequently affected. For this reason, the eyes are often affected in addition to the ears. You may experience watery eyes, which cause burning and pain. The respiratory tract can also be increasingly infected by mucus and viruses. Bronchitis or even pneumonia with a strong cough can occur through the airways. Often the body temperature is also increased. With the onset of the fever, chills, headaches, and body aches can also set in. In rare cases, the common cold can spread to other parts of the body and organs. Tooth inflammation with corresponding pain can occur quite often. On the other hand, it is less common for a long-standing and untreated cold to infect the inner wall of the heart, which is accompanied by a high fever.

Read more on this topic at: Symptoms of earache

Neck pain

Neck pain is a common but harmless symptom of a cold. There can be several causes behind this. Often it is just a matter of tension that can occur after a few days due to rest and bed rest. However, more common is a projection of a sore throat onto the neck. In the case of a deep sore throat, moving the head can provoke and intensify the pain. Therefore, those affected mistakenly perceive an additional neck pain due to the spatial proximity to the neck. A very rare but dangerous reason for neck pain can be the onset of meningitis. It is extremely rare with a cold in an adult, and more common in children. Often symptoms are ignored or a persistent flu goes untreated for too long. As a result, the pathogens spread into the bloodstream and cause inflammation of the meninges. This results in stiff neck, photophobia, fever, nausea and vomiting.

Back pain

Back pain is a rather unusual symptom of a cold, it is not directly related to the illness. In most cases, this is due to spasms of the back muscles, which can be traced back to various causes. On the one hand, the muscles tense through longer bed rest, which can lead to annoying back pain at night and when lying down. Furthermore, the muscles can become tense in stressful situations, especially if there is a fever with aching limbs. As the cold subsides, the back pain should normally also subside.

Eye pain

Eye pain is common with a cold of the nose and sinuses. The reason for this is pressure that is created on the eye and the surrounding tissue. The increased production of mucus causes the mucous membranes of the paranasal sinuses to swell, which can lead to painful pressure due to the close proximity to the eye socket. The eye muscles and the optic nerve can be stressed, which can lead to blurred vision, double vision and pain. Targeted external pressure on certain nerve exit points around the eye socket can confirm involvement and irritation of the nerves. In addition to eye pain, the eyes may also tear. The cold mucus of the sinuses, which blocks the drainage of tears from the eye, is also involved.

Read more on this topic at: Eye pain

Toothache

A toothache can also occur as part of a cold or shortly after a cold with an earache. The common cold is only indirectly related to the toothache. On the one hand, minor inflammations may have existed in the tooth before. However, the immune system has so far been able to fight the inflammation. With the common cold, however, these mechanisms were weakened, which is why the pain can now germinate. Another reason for toothache can be sinus involvement. The maxillary sinus is also one of the paranasal sinuses and can be affected by the infection and thick mucus. As in the rest of the sinuses, there is pressure and pain, which is projected onto the teeth due to the spatial proximity. Toothache is particularly likely if you already have earache.

Read more on this topic at: Toothache with a cold

Body aches

Pain in the limbs is a typical early symptom in the development of fever. Fever is an important and frequent symptom in minor and major infections and flu. The body temperature is raised to better combat the pathogens and other processes in the body are slowed down. A general weakness also occurs, in order to allow the body the necessary rest for recovery. The metabolism of the muscles is also reduced. For this reason, there is a feeling of exhaustion and slight pain in the muscles. Pain in the limbs can often be noticed as an early symptom before the fever sets in.

Read more on this topic at: Body aches

Sore throat

A sore throat is one of the most common symptoms of a cold. The mucous membrane in the throat and on the palate is particularly susceptible to the first colonization of pathogens, which is why a sore throat can be noticed early on. Together with the pain in the limbs and the fever, they are often the first symptom of an incipient illness. Apart from the typical scratching of the throat during a cold, there may also be inflammation of the tonsils. This also causes a sore throat and also difficulty swallowing.

Read more on this topic at:

  • Sore throat with a cold
  • Home remedies for a sore throat