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Ear infections are the most common reason parents bring their child to a doctor. Three out of four children will have at least one ear infection by their third birthday. Adults can also get ear infections, but they are less common.

The infection usually affects the middle ear and is called otitis media. The tubes inside the ears become clogged with fluid and mucus. This can affect hearing, because sound cannot get through all that fluid.

If your child isn't old enough to say "My ear hurts," here are a few things to look for:

• Tugging at ears
• Crying more than usual
• Fluid draining from the ear
• Trouble sleeping
• Balance difficulties
• Hearing problems

Your health care provider will diagnose an ear infection by looking inside the ear with an instrument called an otoscope.

Often, ear infections go away on their own. Your health care provider may recommend pain relievers. Severe infections and infections in young babies may require antibiotics.

Children who get infections often may need surgery to place small tubes inside their ears. The tubes relieve pressure in the ears so that the child can hear again.

NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Dizziness and vertigo are not the same thing, but they are often mixed up.

• Dizziness can make you feel lightheaded, woozy or unsteady on your feet.
• Vertigo is the feeling that you or the room is spinning even when nothing is moving.

These feelings may get worse when you walk, stand up, or move your head, and they can make you lose your balance. You may also have nausea, vomiting, sweating, trouble walking, or ringing in your ears.

Dizziness and vertigo can happen to anyone, but they are more common as you get older. As people age, they may have more health conditions and take more medicines, which increases the chance of dizziness.

Common causes of dizziness and vertigo may include:

• A sudden drop in blood pressure
• Dehydration
• Getting up too quickly
• Certain medicines
• Inner ear problems, such as Meniere's disease, or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), the most common cause of vertigo
• Motion sickness
• Migraines
• A head injury or ear surgery

Sometimes dizziness or vertigo is a symptom of another condition.

Your provider will ask about your medicines and symptoms and may do a physical exam. They may check your hearing, balance, and how you walk.

You may need an imaging test if your provider thinks you may have had a stroke or if you've had a head injury.

Dizziness often gets better on its own, but if it keeps happening, your provider can help you find the cause and the right treatment. Treatment depends on the cause and may include balance exercises and medicines.

Get emergency help right away if you have sudden or severe dizziness or vertigo along with vision problems, slurred speech or weakness. These may be signs of a more serious condition.

NIH: National Institutes of Health