Does Your Child Have a Middle Ear Infection?
Middle Ear Infection: What adults sometimes dismiss as a ‘mere’ earache can be distressing for children and particularly younger ones.
In reality, middle ear infections can be very unpleasant and may, at times, require medical assistance.
Does your child have a middle ear infection?
It’s not unusual for a child to have some minor irritation around or just inside their ears and perhaps the odd minor earache. That may signify nothing at all but be alert for symptoms that might include one or more of the following:
- complaints of pain or a sensation of ‘fullness’ in an ear;
- if your child is too young to converse in detail, you may see them constantly pulling at one of their ears (or both) or rubbing it/them. They might also be ‘grizzly’ for no obvious reason;
- discharges from the ear or ears. The colour may vary and might, in some moderately rare cases, show some indications of blood (sometimes meaning their eardrum has perforated though that isn’t always as serious as it sounds);
- rashes and skin flushing around their ear;
- a temperature;
- vomiting;
- runny nose;
- a loss of appetite;
- indications that their hearing isn’t as sharp as usual.
If these symptoms exist, they may indicate that your child has an inner ear infection and you should consult a doctor.
What is an inner ear infection?
Medically called “otitis media”, an inner ear infection means that the fluid behind the eardrum has become infected by either a virus or bacteria. Sometimes, a superficially similar condition may arise because of some forms of allergic reaction in the ear but strictly speaking, that is not an infection.
Your doctor will often be able to diagnose it on sight by the use of an instrument to look along the ear passages and they might also perform a simple test of your child’s eardrum.
In cases where the eardrum has perforated as a result of the build-up of pressure, discharges may be seen but the good news is that these typically self-heal without major medical intervention.
Children that suffer regular recurring bouts of ear infection may be described as having “glue ear”. That may lead to hearing problems and more detailed medical intervention. Your doctor will advise should that be the case.
Treatment
Your doctor will give specific instructions.
Normally, if this is a one-off and the infection is mild, nothing will be prescribed other than child-safe dosages of paracetamol for the pain and possibly some ear drops. In most cases, the infection will self-resolve within about 48 hours or so.
In some more severe cases or where the infection is proving difficult for your child to clear alone, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to run over a few days.
In cases of glue ear, a doctor might prescribe a much longer course of antibiotics and possibly other forms of Middle Ear Infection treatment.
Things to avoid
There is no one thing you can do to ensure your child avoids Middle Ear Infection of this type.
There are though some important negatives to remember:
- don’t smoke around your children. Exposure to passive smoking is known to increase a child’s risk of many forms of illness and infection;
- never put articles, including cotton wool buds, into your child’s ears;
- never pour self-medication products into your child’s ears, including olive oil or antiseptics etc. ONLY put drops into a child’s ear where these have been specifically prescribed by a doctor.
Always follow the dosage and usage instructions on any medications prescribed for your child and avoid improvisation.
