Middle ear infections
A close look at the ear
In addition to the common cold, ear infections are the most commonly diagnosed childhood illness in the United States. About
3 out of 4 children have at least one ear infection by the time they had reached 3 years.
To understand how to develop ear infections, we want to check how the ear works.
Think about how you feel speakers vibrate as you listen to your favorite CD in the car or how you feel neck
vibrate when you speak. Clay, which is made from invisible waves of energy, causes these oscillations. Each time you
hear a tone to the various structures of the ear to work together to ensure that the information gets to the brain.
The ear is responsible for hearing and balance disorders and consists of three parts - the outer ear, middle ear and inner ear.
Hearing begins when sound waves that travel through the air around the outer ear or pinna, which will reach the part of the ear
is visible. The sound waves then travel from the pinna through the ear canal into the middle ear, which includes the
Tympanic membrane (a thin layer of tissue), and three bones called ossicles minute. When the eardrum vibrates, the ossicles amplify
these vibrations and carry them to the inner ear.
The inner ear transmits the oscillations into electrical signals, and sends it connects to the auditory nerve to which the
Brain. When these nerve impulses reach the brain, they are interpreted as sound.
The Eustachian tube
To function properly, the middle ear must be the same pressure as the outside world. This is taken care by the
Tube, a small passage that the middle ear to the back of the throat behind the nose.
By adding air to reach the middle ear, eustachian tube similar to the air pressure in the middle ear to the outside air
Pressure. (When your ears "pop" while yawning or swallowing, the tubes are adjusting the air pressure in your
Middle ears.) The Eustachian tube allows for drainage of mucus from the middle ear into the throat.
Sometimes, the Eustachian tube malfunction. For example, if someone has a cold or an allergy, the nose, the
Passages may be blocked eustachian tube congestion in its lining or by mucus in the tube. This blockade
allows fluid to build up in the normally air-filled middle ear.
Bacteria or viruses that enter through the tube and catch the middle ear that. This
Germs can breed in the trapped fluid, eventually causing an ear infection.
About middle ear infections
Inflammation of the middle ear area known as otitis media. Probably when referring to an ear infection, doctors
mean "acute otitis media" rather than the common ear infection called swimmer's ear or otitis externa.
Acute otitis media is the presence of fluid, typically pus in the middle ear with symptoms of pain, redness of the
Tympanic membrane and possible fever.
Other forms of more chronic otitis media are either (in the middle ear fluid of 6 weeks or more), or the fluid in the
Middle ear is temporary and not necessarily infected (called otitis media with effusion).
Doctors try to distinguish between the different forms of otitis because this. Treatment options to Not all forms of
Otitis should be treated with antibiotics.
Causes
Children develop ear infections more common in the first 2-4 years of life for several reasons:
The tubes are shorter and more horizontal than those of adults, which allows bacteria and viruses to find
their way easily into the middle ear. Your tubes are also narrower and less stiff, which it more susceptible to
Blockade.
The polyps that gland structures in the back of the upper neck is arranged in the vicinity of the tube,
big kids interfere in and with the opening of the tubes.
A number of other factors can contribute to children getting ear infections, such as exposure to cigarette smoke, bottle-
Feeding and day care attendance.
Ear infections are also more common in boys than in girls, in children whose families have a history of ear infections, and
during the winter season when upper respiratory infections or colds are frequent.
Signs and symptoms
The signs and symptoms of acute otitis media may range from very mild to severe:
The fluid in the middle ear may push on the eardrum, causing ear pain. An older child may complain of an earache, but a
younger child may tug at the ear or simply act irritable and cry more than usual.
Lying down, chewing, sucking, and can also cause painful pressure changes in the middle ear so a child may eat less than
normal or have trouble sleeping.
When the pressure of the fluid accumulation is high enough, it can rupture the eardrum, causing drainage
Fluid from the ear. This is the pressure behind the eardrum, usually bringing relief from the pain.
Signs of hearing loss
Accumulation of fluid in the middle ear also blocks sound, which can lead to temporary hearing loss. A child can:
not respond to soft sounds
Turn off the TV or the radio
speak up
appear to be inattentive at school
Other symptoms of acute otitis media may include:
Fever
Morning sickness
Throw up
Dizziness
However, otitis media with effusion often has no symptoms. In some children, the liquid, which is in the middle ear create
Feeling of ear fullness or "popping". Such as acute otitis media, the fluid behind the tympanic membrane can block tone, mild
temporary hearing loss can happen, but might not be obvious.
Ear infections are also frequently associated with infections of the upper respiratory tract and therefore with their common
Signs and symptoms such as a runny or stuffy nose or cough.
Contagiousness
Ear infections are not contagious, but the cold, which can lead to can be.
Time
Middle ear infections often go away on their own in 2 or 3 days, even without specific treatment. If your doctor
decides to prescribe antibiotics, a 10-day course is usually recommended.
For children 6 years and older with mild to moderate infection, a shortened course of antibiotics (5-7 days)
be appropriate.
However, after the treatment with antibiotics for one episode of acute otitis media, fluid can remain in the middle ear to
several months.
Diagnosis and Treatment
A child who could have an ear infection should consult a doctor should be able to make a diagnosis by a medical
History and doing a physical examination.
To examine the ear, doctors use an otoscope, a small instrument similar to a flashlight through which they can see the
Eardrum.
There is no single best approach for treating all middle ear infections. When deciding how to manage your child's ear
Infection, the doctor will consider many factors, including:
the nature and severity of the ear infection
how often your child has ear infections
how long it took this infection
Age of your children
Risk factors can have your child
whether the infection affects your child's hearing
The fact that most ear infections clear on their own has led a number of associations doctor to recommend a
"Wait-and-see" approach, which involves giving the child pain relief without antibiotics for a few days.
Another important reason to consider this type of approach are the limitations of antibiotics:
will not help an infection caused by a virus
not eliminate middle ear fluid
can cause side effects
not usually relieve pain within the first 24 hours and have only a minimal effect that after
In addition, frequent use of antibiotics can lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can be much more
difficult to treat.
If antibiotics are required
However, children who get a lot of ear infections, antibiotics are prescribed by their doctor every day, to prevent future
Infections. And younger children or those with more severe disease may require antibiotics from the start.
The "wait-and-see" approach could not also for children with other concerns such as cleft palate, genetic
Diseases such as Down syndrome, underlying conditions such as disorders of the immune system or a history of recurrent acute
Otitis media.
Children with persistent otitis media with effusion (more than 3 months) should be re-examined periodically (every 3
to 6 months) by their doctors. Often these children are not treated.
Whether the choice is made to treat with antibiotics, you can help reduce the symptoms of an ear infection by reducing
with acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain and fever, as needed. Your doctor may also recommend using pain-relieving
Ear drops, as long as the tympanic membrane is not broken.
But certain children as they had persistent hearing loss or speech delay, may require ear tube surgery. In some
Cases, an ear, nose and throat doctor surgically inserting tubes (called tympanostomy tubes) reflected in the
Eardrum. This allows fluid to drain from the middle ear and helps balance of pressure in the ear, as the
Eustachian tube is able.
Prevention
Some factors that are associated with the development of ear infections can not be changed (such as family history of frequent ear
Infections), but certain lifestyle can reduce the risk for children:
To help babies breastfeed for at least 6 months, to prevent the development of the early episodes of ear infections. If a
Bottle-fed child, keep the child at an angle instead of the child to lie down with the bottle.
Avoidance of exposure to tobacco smoke, which can increase the frequency and severity of ear infections
Reduce exposure, if possible, to large groups of other children, as in day-care centers. Because multiple upper
Respiratory infections can also lead to frequent ear infections, limiting exposure can result in less frequent colds
detected early and therefore less ear infections.
Parents and children should practice good hand washing. This is one of the most important ways to reduce human
Human transmission of germs that can cause colds and therefore ear infections.
keep children vaccinations up-to-date, because certain vaccines can prevent ear infections
Also be aware that research has shown that cold and allergy medications such as antihistamines and decongestants, not
helpful in preventing ear infections.
When to call the doctor
To lead although very rare, ear infections that do not go away or severe repeated middle ear infections can
Complications, including spread of the infection to nearby bones. So children with ear pain or a feeling of fullness in the
Ear, especially when combined with fever, should be evaluated by their physicians if they are not improved.
Other conditions may also result in earache, as teething, a foreign body in the ear, or hard earwax. Ask your
Physician to determine the cause of the symptoms and how to treat it.