What is the Difference Between Ear Infection and Ruptured Eardrum

The key difference between ear infection and ruptured eardrum is that an ear infection is a condition that is due to an infection of the middle ear, while a ruptured eardrum is a condition that is due to a hole in the thin tissue that separates the ear canal from the middle ear.

Ear infection and ruptured eardrum are two associated ear conditions, as middle ear infections usually result in a ruptured eardrum. However, these are different ear conditions with different management strategies.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is an Ear Infection
3. What is a Ruptured Eardrum
4. Similarities – Ear Infection and Ruptured Eardrum
5. Ear Infection vs Ruptured Eardrum in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Ear Infection vs Ruptured Eardrum

What is an Ear Infection?

The middle ear is an air-filled space situated behind the eardrum. It contains the tiny vibrating bones of the ear. When foreign pathogens infect the middle ear, it results in ear infection. This condition is also called acute otitis media and is very common in children than in adults. The signs and symptoms of this condition may include ear pain, tugging, trouble sleeping, children crying more than usual, fussiness, trouble hearing, loss of balance, fever, drainage of fluid from the ear, headache, and loss of appetite. Bacteria or viruses cause ear infections in the middle ear, which often result from another underlying illness, such as a cold, flu, or allergy. The complications resulting from this condition include impaired hearing and speech, developmental delays (infants and toddlers), and the spread of infections causing brain infections such as meningitis and tearing of the eardrum.

Ear infections are diagnosed through ear examination, pneumatic otoscope test, tympanometry, acoustic reflectometry, and tympanocentesis. Furthermore, ear infections are usually treated through pain medication, anesthetic drops, antibiotic therapy, antiviral medications, and placing an ear tube called a tympanostomy tube after a surgical procedure known as myringotomy.

What is a Ruptured Eardrum?

A ruptured eardrum is an ear condition that is due to a tear in the thin tissue that separates the ear canal from the middle ear. The signs and symptoms of this condition may include ear pain that generally subsides quickly, pus-filled or blood drainage from the ear, hearing loss, tinnitus, spinning sensation or vertigo, and nausea or vomiting. Middle ear infections, barotraumas, loud sounds or acoustic trauma, foreign objects in the ear, and severe head trauma can cause a ruptured eardrum. The complications resulting from a ruptured eardrum include hearing loss and a middle ear cyst or cholesteatoma.

A ruptured eardrum can be diagnosed through a visual inspection using a lighted instrument called an otoscope, laboratory tests, tuning fork evaluation, tympanometry, and audiology examination. Furthermore, a ruptured eardrum is treated through an eardrum patch and surgery such as tympanoplasty.

What are the Similarities Between Ear Infection and Ruptured Eardrum?

• Ear infection and ruptured eardrum are two associated ear conditions.
• A ruptured eardrum can be a complication of ear infections.
• Both conditions are more common in children.
• They may result in similar symptoms, such as pain in the ear, drainage from the ear, hearing loss, etc.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through ear examination and
• They are treated through specific surgeries.

What is the Difference Between Ear Infection and Ruptured Eardrum?

An ear infection is a condition that is due to an infection of the middle ear, while a ruptured eardrum is a condition that is due to a hole in the thin tissue that separates the ear canal from the middle ear. Thus, this is the key difference between ear infection and ruptured eardrum. Furthermore, the complications resulting from ear infections include impaired hearing and speech, developmental delays (infants and toddlers), and the spread of an infection causing brain infections such as meningitis and tearing of the eardrum. On the other hand, the complications resulting from a ruptured eardrum include hearing loss and a middle ear cyst or cholesteatoma.

The infographic below presents the differences between ear infection and ruptured eardrum in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Ear Infection vs Ruptured Eardrum

A variety of ear conditions may affect hearing or balance. Ear infection and ruptured eardrum are two such ear conditions. An ear infection is usually responsible for a ruptured eardrum. However, an ear infection is due to an infection of the middle ear, while a ruptured eardrum is due to a hole or tear in the thin tissue that separates the ear canal from the middle ear. So, this is the key difference between ear infection and ruptured eardrum.

Reference:

1. “Ear Infection (Middle Ear).” Mayo Clinic.
2.“Ruptured Eardrum (Perforated Eardrum).” Mayo Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Cerumenolytic used in right ear” By Jon Collier – (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Depiction of a man with a ruptured or perforated eardrum” By Myupchar.com (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia