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Fever headache earache: Can an Ear Infection Cause a Headache?

by alexxlab

Can an Ear Infection Cause a Headache?

By Getwell Urgent Care

If you have sinus pressure or viral infection in your ear, nose, or throat, it’s not uncommon to experience a headache as well. The ear, nose, and throat are connected and surrounded by hollow sinus cavities in the cheekbones, middle of the forehead, between the eyes, and in the nose. When you have sinusitis or tonsilitis, these cavities can fill with mucus and cause sinus pressure headaches. The mucus can also leak into the middle ear (the space just behind the eardrum) and cause an ear infection. Each of these (often viral) infections can irritate the nerves around the face and head and cause headaches or even migraines.

Now that you know the basics of how headaches happen, you may still be wondering, “Can an ear infection cause a headache?” The answer is yes, ear infections can cause headaches and even fevers. Ear infections are more common in children than in teens or adults. If your child has an ear infection or struggles with repeat ear infections, it’s important to visit their primary care physician or local urgent care facility as some cases can cause lasting damage to the ears.

Symptoms of ear infection include:

  • Ear pain
  • Fever of 100°F or higher
  • Loss of appetite
  • Irritability
  • Loss of balance
  • Difficulty sleeping

A headache is one of the most common pain conditions in the world, affecting more than 75% of adults each year. It’s characterized by a painful sensation in any part of the head, ranging from sharp to dull, and may occur alongside issues like stress, colds, fevers, sinusitis, throat infections, or ear infections. If you or your child has an ear infection or other viral infection, here are a few things you can do to not only alleviate the symptoms of the infection but also help soothe headaches:

  • Over the counter (OTC) pain relievers
    OTC pain relievers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen can help control the pain associated with acute otitis media (middle ear infection) and are safe to use with or without antibiotics. Follow the dosing instructions on the label and be sure to check with your primary care physician before giving to babies and young children.
  • Elevated sleep position
    Sleeping with your head elevated will help drain your sinuses, reduce the pressure inside your sinus cavities, and alleviate headache pain.
  • Cold or warm compress
    Place a cold or warm compress over the affected ear and alternate between warm and cold every 10 minutes. If you find one is helping more than the other, you can just use one compress.
  • Neck exercises
    Neck rotation exercises can help alleviate pressure inside the ear canal and alleviate headache pain.
  • Self-care practices
    When you aren’t feeling well, it’s important to take care of yourself. Here are a few things you can do to help relieve cold, flu, and allergy symptoms. These tips can also help soothe headaches and reduce fevers:
    • Get plenty of rest
    • Drink warm drinks and plenty of liquids to help thin mucus
    • Drink warm broth or chicken soup
    • Eat frozen yogurt or a popsicle
    • Try steam inhalation
    • Sit in a warm bath
    • Apply essential oils like tea tree, eucalyptus, or peppermint to your temples*

*Check with your child’s primary care physician before using essential oils, as some are unsafe for children. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, also check with your doctor before trying essential oils and other natural remedies.

If over-the-counter medications aren’t alleviating the pain and discomfort of your ear infection, or if your symptoms are getting worse, visit Getwell Urgent Care for same-day ear infection treatment so you can start feeling better, fast. We welcome walk-in appointments 7 days a week.

Symptom Checker with Body from WebMD

NEW: This symptom checker now includes the ability to select symptoms by body location. We hope this makes it easier for you to identify your symptoms and possible conditions.

The tool also allows you to select multiple symptoms quickly. Click to see FAQs and tips for searching

1) How many body sections are there?

• There are 11 primary body regions and 41 sub-regions from which you can choose. For example, the arm is a primary region, and your elbow is a more specific sub-region. The ability to choose sub-regions allows you to more precisely specify your symptoms.

2) What should I do if I’m not sure which body area to choose?

• Since all symptoms in a sub-region (example “elbow”) are also listed in the primary body region (example “arm”), it is best to start with the primary body region if you are unsure exactly where the symptom is on your body.

3) What if my symptom isn’t associated with a specific body location (for example, “chills”)?

• If you are not sure what body area your symptom falls under, you can type your symptom in the main search box or select the “General Symptoms” category.

• There is also a separate section for skin symptoms only.

4) What if I don’t see my symptom on the list?

• When a body location is selected, the “most common symptoms” are displayed first, but you can also switch tabs to see “All” symptoms.

• You can also use the category-specific search box to search for all symptoms in that category.

• The search box on the main page includes ALL symptoms in all categories.

5) What if I can’t find my condition or my medication on the “Questions” page?

•If your condition or medication is not displayed in the type-ahead list, we don’t have enough information about it to factor it into the results. If you don’t see it, skip that field.

• All questions are optional, you can always skip directly to results.

6) Are there any other tips for using this symptom checker?

• If you need to go back to a previous page, please use the “back” or “previous” buttons within the tool. Do not use the back button on your browser or phone. You could lose the symptoms you entered.

• Results are ordered by how closely your symptoms match a condition AND how common it is (in the United States). Extremely rare conditions may not surface in this tool. You should always consult a doctor for specific concerns.

• We strongly suggest entering more than 1 symptom. It will likely improve your results.

This tool does not provide medical advice It is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the WebMD Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.

Increase in body temperature (fever) symptoms and treatment

What causes fever?

Fever changes all types of metabolism, activating oxidative processes, oxygen consumption increases, carbon dioxide decreases in the blood, blood changes its pH, which leads to spasmodic contraction of cerebral vessels.

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Oxygen starvation of the brain leads to excitation of the nervous system and failure of the regulation of the activity of all organ systems. All energy reserves are spent on the formation of heat, first of all, liver glycogen. Proteins in the muscles break down, fluid and sodium chloride are retained in the tissues, so the temperature patient loses weight and swells.

What are the symptoms of fever?

An increase in body temperature without symptoms is impossible, the body reacts even to a slight increase with weakness and headache.

  • The patient feels hot and chilly, a rapid decrease leads to increased sweating.
  • Fever accompanied by symptoms of increased pressure and palpitations. The higher the degrees, the faster the pulse.
  • At first, breathing becomes less frequent, and then quickens, giving off heat with the exhaled air.
  • The formation increases, followed by a rapid decrease in the volume of urine due to excessive sweating and retention of interstitial fluid.
  • The production of digestive juices and saliva is disrupted, so the mouth dries out and symptoms of indigestion increase: appetite disappears, stool retention is noted, which leads to the multiplication of bacteria in the intestine and intensification of symptoms of intoxication.

What is the use of fever in the body?

The symptom of fever is both an adaptation of the body to the penetration of microorganisms and protection against them:

  • the reproduction of the pathological agent is disturbed;
  • increases the production of antibodies by immune cells;
  • immune killer cells are activated;
  • increases the production of anti-toxic proteins by the liver that interfere with the reproduction of infectious particles.

How is a high temperature treated?

Fever of any intensity is not well tolerated, but fever should not be stopped unless it causes dangerous cardiovascular symptoms.

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Reduce fever with cooling and medicines

Cooling of the domestic patient is achieved by minimal clothing (sometimes a sheet over the naked body is enough), good ventilation of the room, wiping the body with water at 25 ° C or camphor alcohol. You need to put a wet towel on your head and hands.

There are many antipyretic drugs available today, most of them in combination formulations that also target other symptoms associated with fever. When taking them, one should be interested in their composition and be sure to follow the regimen indicated in the instructions, because drugs can have side effects, which can worsen the condition of a patient with fever.

Do not self-medicate, seek help from a specialist at the Center for Infectious Diseases, who visits seven days a week and holidays. Make an appointment with the doctor of the Medica24 International Clinic by phone +7 (495) 120-19-58

Fever treatment consultation ID-CLINIC St. Petersburg

Fever treatment consultation ID-CLINIC St. Petersburg

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Fever is the body’s natural defense reaction, most often in response to a bacterial or viral infection. It is associated with the activation of the thermoregulatory center in the brain and the change in its functions in such a way as to maintain an elevated body temperature. In this, fever is strikingly different from hyperthermia, an increase in body temperature that is not associated with a change in the set point in the thermoregulatory center.

Mechanism of development of fever

Violation of the thermoregulation center is caused by pyrogens – exogenous substances of bacterial origin and endogenous molecules that are formed under their influence. Regardless of the underlying cause, the fever proceeds with a change of 3 stages:
● stage of fever – the main symptom is chills
● stage of standing high temperature – manifested by heat
● temperature reduction stage – characterized by increased sweating

What are the benefits of fever

Fever is one of the body’s most important mechanisms in the fight against pathogens. Fever creates unfavorable conditions for the development of infectious agents and some of them die. In addition, with a moderate increase in temperature, immune cells (leukocytes) are activated, the production of antibodies and interferon is enhanced. Therefore, attempts to immediately “bring down” a low temperature are fraught with a protracted course of the disease and an increased risk of complications.

Classification of fever

● according to the degree of temperature increase – subfebrile (37-38°C), moderate (38-39°C), high (39-41°C), hyperpyretic (more than 41°C)
● according to temperature fluctuations during the day – constant, laxative, intermittent, debilitating, incorrect
● according to the duration of the course – ephemeral (1-3 days), acute (up to 2 weeks), subacute (up to 6 weeks), chronic (more than 6 weeks)

Fever of unknown origin

This term refers to a persistent or episodic rise in temperature above 38.3°C for 3 weeks or longer if the cause of this condition cannot be determined. Fever of unknown origin is a non-specific syndrome that can occur against the background of such pathologies:
● infections (tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus, HIV infection)
● autoimmune diseases
● malignant tumors
● complications of prolonged and irrational drug use

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Which doctor to contact

Fever is mainly accompanied by other signs of infection, especially respiratory and intestinal symptoms. Therefore, patients are advised to consult an ID-Clinic infectious disease specialist as soon as possible. Since a person with a fever cannot come to a face-to-face appointment, we offer online consultation and home visit services. Chronic fever is a reason to contact a general practitioner or an infectious disease specialist.

Comprehensive diagnostics

The patient’s examination plan depends on accompanying complaints, general health. The standard diagnostic program includes clinical and biochemical blood tests, urine and feces tests. If there are relevant signs, rapid testing for common respiratory infections is carried out. According to indications, chest X-ray, ultrasound of the abdominal organs and other instrumental methods are prescribed.

Non-drug care

At elevated temperatures, there is a rapid loss of fluid by the body, so you need to ensure the correct drinking regimen: water, juices, compotes, teas, herbal decoctions are allowed.
To safely reduce the temperature, methods of physical cooling of the body are used. The room should be cool fresh air. If the skin on the trunk and limbs is hot and pink, wiping with water at room temperature is indicated.

Antipyretics

It is a general medical principle not to use antipyretics at temperatures up to 38.5°C in adults unless the patient’s condition remains satisfactory and there is no serious threat to health. In other cases, antipyretic drugs from the NSAID group are used as prescribed by a doctor. If the temperature rises above 40°C, treatment is carried out in a hospital, the drug therapy program is selected individually.

When fever is prohibited:

● wrapping up in several blankets “to sweat” – this interferes with natural heat exchange and aggravates the condition
● put mustard plasters – they are not effective for fever and can cause skin burns
● being in a hot bath, doing warm compresses
● take alcohol and drinks with a high content of caffeine
● take analgin and aspirin without a doctor’s prescription – these are drugs with a large number of side effects, which are replaced by safer analogues

Make an appointment with a doctor

ID-Clinic infectious disease specialists consult patients by appointment. Leave a request in the online form so that our administrator will contact you and select the nearest available time for a medical appointment.

Cost of clinic services

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Primary appointment (examination, consultation) with an infectious disease specialist

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Fibrinogen

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505.00 RUB

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Clinical blood test (general blood test with leukocyte formula (smear microscopy in the presence of pathology) and ESR)

680.00 RUB

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Online consultation with a general practitioner

Online consultation with an infectious disease specialist

  • SavchenkoMikhail Andreevich

    Infectionist,
    Hepatologist,
    Doctor of the first category,
    Candidate of Medical Sciences