Mastoiditis :
Mastoiditis is described as an infection of the middle ear that extends to the temporal bone (the largest bone behind the ear), caused by a bacterium. Mastoiditis is classified into two types: acute mastoiditis and chronic mastoiditis. Acute mastoiditis lasts for a short time as an ear infection, and chronic mastoiditis lasts for a long period of time. The presenting complains of mastoiditis include throbbing ear pain for a long time, swollen skin or redness behind the affected ear, doughy or soft- feeling bone behind the ear, ear drainage that contains pus, fever, worsening hearing loss, headache, vertigo, double vision and confusion. The complications of mastoiditis include meningitis, inner ear infection (labyrinthitis), facial paralysis, partial or complete hearing loss, sepsis, and encephalitis. To prevent mastoiditis, the preventive measures to be followed are vaccinating the child at a young age, limiting the use of pacifiers, quitting smoking, preventing colds, and controlling allergies.





