3 out of 4 children experience otitis media by the time they are 3-years-old.
Ear infections are the most common illnesses in babies and young children.
There are two main types.
The first type is called acute otitis media (AOM). This means
that parts of the ear are infected and swollen. It also means that fluid
and mucus are trapped inside the ear. AOM can be painful.
The second type is called otitis media with effusion (fluid), or
OME. This means fluid and mucus stay trapped in the ear after the
infection is over. OME makes it harder for the ear to fight new infections.
This fluid can also affect your child's hearing.
Causes:
Otitis media usually happens when viruses and/or bacteria get inside
the ear and cause an infection.
It often happens as a result of another illness, such as a cold. If
your child gets sick, it might affect his or her ears.
It is harder for children to fight illness than it is for adults, so
children develop ear infections more often.
Some researchers believe that other factors, such as being around cigarette
smoke, can contribute to ear infections.
When the ears are infected the eustachian tubes become inflamed and swollen.
The adenoids can also become infected.
The eustachian tubes are inside the ear. They keep air pressure
stable in the ear. These tubes also help supply the ears with fresh
air.
The adenoids are located near the eustachian tubes. Adenoids
are clumps of cells that fight infections.
Swollen and inflamed eustachian tubes often get clogged with
fluid and mucus from a cold. If the fluids plug the openings of the
eustachian tubes, air and fluid get trapped inside the ear. These tubes
are smaller and straighter in children than they are in adults. This
makes it harder for fluid to drain out of the ear and is one reason
that children get more ear infections than adults. The infections are
usually painful.
Adenoids are located in the throat, near the eustachian tubes.
Adenoids can become infected and swollen. They can also block the openings
of the eustachian tubes, trapping air and fluid. Just like the eustachian
tubes, the adenoids are different in children than in adults. In children,
the adenoids are larger, so they can more easily block the opening of
the eustachian tube.
An ear infection can cause temporary hearing problems.
Temporary speech and language problems can
happen, too. If left untreated, these problems can become more serious.
An
ear infection affects important parts in the ear that help us hear. Sounds
around us are collected by the outer ear. Then sound travels to the middle
ear, which has three tiny bones and is filled with air. After that, sound
moves on to the inner ear. The inner ear is where sounds are turned into
electrical signals and sent to the brain. An ear infection affects the
whole ear, but especially the middle and inner ear. Hearing is affected
because sound cannot get through an ear that is filled with fluid.
Signs and Symptoms:
It is not always easy to know if your child has an ear infection. Sometimes
you have to watch carefully. Your child may get an ear infection before
he or she has learned how to talk. If your child is not old enough to
say, "My ear hurts," you need to look for other signals that
there is a problem.
A child with an ear infection may show you any of these signs. If
you see any of them, call a doctor.
Your
doctor will examine your child's ear. If your child has an ear infection,
the doctor may give your child medicines called antibiotics.
Antibiotics only work against organisms called bacteria,
which can cause illness.
Antibiotics are NOT effective against viruses, such as those
associated with a cold.
In order to be effective, antibiotics must be taken until they are
finished.
A few days after the medicine starts working, your child may stop pulling
on his or her ear and appear to be feeling better. This does not mean
the infection is gone. The medicine must still be taken. If not,
the bacteria can come back.
You need to follow the doctor's directions exactly.
Your doctor may also give your child pain relievers, such as acetaminophen.
Medicines such as antihistamines and decongestants do not help in
the prevention or treatment of otitis media.
The most common surgical treatment involves having small tubes
placed inside the ear. This surgery is called a myringotomy.
It is recommended when fluids from an ear infection stay in the ear
for several months. At that stage, fluid may cause hearing loss and
speech problems. A doctor called an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and
throat surgeon) will help you through this process if your child needs
an operation. The operation will require anesthesia.
In a myringotomy, a surgeon makes a small opening in the ear
drum. Then a tube is placed in the opening. The tube works to relieve
pressure in the clogged ear so that the child can hear again. Fluid
cannot build up in the ear if the tube is venting it with fresh air.
After a few months, the tubes will fall out on their own. In
rare cases, a child may need to have a myringotomy more than once.
Another kind of surgery removes the adenoids. This is called
an adenoidectomy. Removing the adenoids has been shown to help
some children with otitis media who are between the ages of 4 and 8.
We know less about whether this can help children under age 4.
What About Children in Daycare, Pre-School, or School?
Even before your child has an ear infection or needs to take medicine,
ask the daycare program or school about their medication policy.
Sometimes you will need a note from your doctor for the staff at the
school. The note can tell the people at your child's school how and
when to give your child medicine if it is needed during school hours.
Some schools will not give children medicine. If this is the case at
your child's school, ask your doctor how to schedule your child's medicine.
Prevention:
The best thing you can do is to pay attention to your child.
Know the warning signs of ear infections, and be on the lookout if your
child gets a cold.
If you think your child has an ear infection, call the doctor.
Do not smoke around your child. Smoke is not good for the delicate
parts inside your child's ear.
Reproduced in part: Updated: July 2001, NIH Publication
No. 00-4216
Otitis
media is an ear infection. 3 out of 4 children experience otitis media by the time they are 3-years-old.
The first type is called acute otitis media (AOM). This means that parts of the ear are infected and swollen. It also means that fluid and mucus are trapped inside the ear. AOM can be painful.
An
ear infection affects important parts in the ear that help us hear. Sounds
around us are collected by the outer ear. Then sound travels to the middle
ear, which has three tiny bones and is filled with air. After that, sound
moves on to the inner ear. The inner ear is where sounds are turned into
electrical signals and sent to the brain. An ear infection affects the
whole ear, but especially the middle and inner ear. Hearing is affected
because sound cannot get through an ear that is filled with fluid. 
Your
doctor will examine your child's ear. If your child has an ear infection,
the doctor may give your child medicines called antibiotics. 
