Ear Infection

The most common type of ear infection (otitis media) affects the middle ear, the space between the eardrum and the inner ear. The middle ear is usually filled with air but it can fill up with fluid (during a cold for example) and ear infections happen when bacteria, viruses or fungi infect the fluid and cause swelling in the ear. Ear infections are common in childhood and can be extremely painful, causing a considerable amount of distress. Chronic otitis media is when ear infections keep recurring, for example Glue ear is a type of chronic otitis media. Ear infection is the most common health problem doctors see in young children with around one in 10 children having an ear infection by the time they are three months old (NHS Direct, 2005). It can be a serious problem; otitis media is the most common cause of hearing loss in children today (Bernstein, 1993).

Ear infections are often linked to colds or other problems of the respiratory system. However, recent reports link ear infections to food allergies (Hurst, 1998; Aydogan et al., 2004; Doner et al., 2004). Researchers from Georgetown University in the US examined the role of food allergy in ear infection in 104 children with recurrent ear problems (Nsouli et al., 1994). The children were tested for food allergies and those who tested positive excluded that particular food for 16 weeks, then reintroduced it. Results showed that 78 per cent of the children with ear problems also had food allergies, the most common allergenic foods were cow’s milk (38 per cent), wheat (33 per cent), egg white (25 per cent), peanut (20 per cent) and soya (17 per cent). 86 per cent of these children responded well to eliminating the offending food, and of these, 94 per cent suffered a recurrence of ear problems on reintroducing the offending food.

A different approach was taken in a Finnish study of 56 children with cow’s milk allergy and 204 children without cow’s milk allergy. These researchers examined the occurrence of ear infection in children known to have cow’s milk allergy. Results showed that 27 per cent of those with the allergy suffered from recurrent ear infections compared to just 12 per cent of those who did not have the allergy (Juntti et al., 1999). It was concluded that children with cow’s milk allergy experience significantly more ear infections.

Dr John James of the Colorado Allergy and Asthma Centres in the US suggests that food allergies can cause inflammation in the nasal passages and lead to the build up of fluid in the middle ear, but he acknowledges that the link between food allergy and ear infection may be hard to prove (James, 2004). The possibility of cow’s milk allergy should be considered in all cases of ear infection, particularly in children.