What are the symptoms of acute otitis media?

Acute otitis media typically presents with ear pain, which can be severe and often worsens during swallowing or yawning. The pain may become more intense at night, affecting children's sleep. The following symptoms may occur: 1. Ear pain: The most common symptom of acute otitis media is ear pain, often described as a feeling of pressure or dull ache, persisting constantly or intensifying in episodes. 2. Tinnitus: Acute otitis media can cause tinnitus, characterized by abnormal sensations of noise or ringing within the ear or head. 3. Hearing loss: Acute otitis media affects hearing, leading to decreased hearing ability and autophony (enhanced perception of one's own voice). 4. Discharge: In acute suppurative otitis media, after perforation of the eardrum, purulent or blood-tinged discharge flows from the ear. Initially, the discharge may be bloody and pus-like, later becoming purely purulent.