Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC) Medical Assisting ADE Practice Exam

Inflammation of the ear is called otitis. The term comes from ot- meaning ear and -itis meaning inflammation, so it describes swelling and sometimes infection affecting ear tissues. It can involve different parts of the ear, most commonly otitis externa (outer ear) or otitis media (middle ear). Knowing the term helps you recognize that symptoms like ear pain, fullness, possible discharge, or fever are linked to an inflammatory process in the ear.

Other terms describe different conditions, not inflammation. Nystagmus is involuntary eye movement, retinal detachment is when the retina lifts away from its underlying layer, and otosclerosis is abnormal bone growth around the small hearing bone in the middle ear that can cause hearing loss without inflammation.