Otitis media refers to which of the following conditions?

Otitis media specifically refers to an infection or inflammation of the middle ear. This condition often arises due to infections that travel from the nasal passages or throat to the middle ear, commonly following respiratory infections such as a cold. Symptoms may include ear pain, irritability in children, and sometimes discharge from the ear if the eardrum perforates.

The other options describe different ear-related issues: earwax blockage pertains to the accumulation of earwax in the ear canal, fluid in the inner ear refers to a separate condition that does not involve the middle ear and can affect balance and hearing, and hearing loss can result from various factors including otitis media but is not a definition of the condition itself. Thus, the choice highlighting middle ear infection aligns directly with the clinical definition of otitis media.