Inflammation of the ear, commonly classified as otitis externa (outer ear), otitis media (middle ear), or otitis interna (inner ear). Causes pain, hearing loss, and sometimes discharge.
From Greek 'ous, otos' meaning ear and '-itis' meaning inflammation. The term has been used since ancient Greek medicine, though the distinction between different types of ear inflammation wasn't clarified until the invention of the otoscope.
Otitis media is the most common reason children visit doctors, because their eustachian tubes are shorter and more horizontal than adults', making fluid drainage difficult. The invention of antibiotics in the 1940s dramatically reduced deaths from ear infections, which previously could spread to the brain.
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