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Next to the common cold, ear infections are the most commonly diagnosed childhood illness. More than three out of four children have had at least one ear infection by the time they reach 3 years of age.
Acute otitis media is the presence of fluid, typically pus, in the middle ear with symptoms of pain, redness of the eardrum, and possible fever.
Children develop ear infections more frequently for several reasons:
- Their eustachian tubes are shorter and more horizontal than those of adults, which allows bacteria and viruses to find their way into the middle ear more easily. Their tubes are also narrower and less stiff, which makes them more prone to blockage.
- The adenoids are large in children and can interfere with the opening of the eustachian tubes.
- Children's immune systems aren't fully developed until the age of 7, which make them more prone to infections.
There are also a number of other factors that contribute to children getting ear infectionssuch as exposure to cigarette smoke, bottle-feeding, and day-care attendance, presence of cleft lip and cleft palate.
- The signs and symptomps are ear pain. trouble sleeping, drainage from ear, fever.
If you suspect that your child has an ear infection, you should see your doctor, who should be able to make a diagnosis by taking a medical history and doing a physical exam.
To examine the ear, doctors use an otoscope, a small instrument similar to a flashlight, through which they can see the eardrum.
Treatment mainly includes antibiotics. If complication occurs, surgery may be considered.
Chronic otitis media
Chronic Otitis Media (COM) is the term used to describe a variety of signs, symptoms, and physical findings that result from the long-term damage to the middle ear by infection an inflammation. This includes the following:
- Severe retraction or perforation of the eardrum (a hole in the eardrum)
- Scarring or erosion of the bones of the middle ear
- Chronic or recurring drainage from the ear
- Inflammation causing erosion of the bony cover or the facial nerve, balance canals, or hearing organ
- Erosion of the bony borders of the middle ear or mastoid, resulting in infection spreading to the brain
- Presence of cholesteatoma, which means skin in the wrong place.
- Persistence of fluid behind an intact eardrum
The first step in treating otitis media is a thorough evaluation by a physician. This will include a history and examination of the ear, nose, and throat. Depending on the individual situation, further testing will include a hearing test, tympanometry (a test that measures the pressure in the middle ear) and CT or MRI scan.
Treatment depends upon the stage of the disease. Uncomplicated chronic ear fluid is treated with antibiotics and topical ear drops. Once the disease has progressed to the point of significant damage to the eardrum or ossicles, more intensive treatment is needed. Once the active infection is controlled, surgery is usually recommended.
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