Otitis (inflammation of the middle ear) in children is an infectious disease, accompanied by an inflammatory process caused by pathogenic bacteria - pneumococci, staphylococci, streptococci that enter the middle ear through the auditory tube.
Otitis in children - causes
The occurrence of this disease in children most often occurs on the background of acute respiratory infections, and in newborns it is caused by the passage of amniotic fluid into the middle ear. In addition, it may occur due to hypothermia, overheating, improper feeding, or due to weakened immunity. Pathogenic bacteria enter the ear through the Eustachian tube connecting it to the nasopharynx. This becomes possible due to the structure of the middle ear in young children.
Otitis in children - symptoms
As a rule, babies get otitis suddenly. Having fallen asleep healthy, the child can wake up crying at night from severe pain, with temperatures up to 40 ° C, nausea and diarrhea. Older children can tell about the pain in the ear, but for the little ones, it is more difficult to recognize it right away. As a rule, they are naughty, crying and refuse to eat, as swallowing increases the pain. In addition, children with otitis media may experience ear congestion and hearing loss, and discharge may appear from the ear.
Otitis in children - methods of treatment
The first thing parents should do when they suspect otitis media in a child is to consult a doctor immediately. Only a qualified otolaryngologist, having examined the eardrum with special tools, will be able to determine the presence of otitis. In order to alleviate the condition of the baby before it is examined by a doctor (lowering the temperature and reducing pain), paracetamol should be given to him, and a warm compress should be given to the ear (it should be discarded at high temperatures). The doctor may recommend treatment with special drops containing painkillers.
If on the third or fourth day the pain persists, then you need to call the doctor again. It is possible that in this case the baby will be treated with antibiotics. In this case, the treatment of otitis media will be supplemented by taking drugs that normalize the intestinal flora, and antihistamine (antiallergic) drugs, in order to prevent side effects from antibiotic treatment.
If the high temperature persists, and it is accompanied by the appearance of pus in the ear, then, most likely, the doctor will be offered a small operation - paracentesis. It is carried out to remove pus, which, having accumulated behind the eardrum, presses on it, which leads to pain. If the doctor considers it necessary to conduct such an operation, then, in order to avoid complications, it should be done as quickly as possible so that the pus does not break through other structures and does not cause meningitis, brain abscess, etc.
It happens that pus breaks through the eardrum and comes out on its own, then the parents' task is to regularly cleanse the baby’s ear canal and to bury the antibacterial drops in the ear, which only a doctor can prescribe. In any case, after removing the pus, the child begins to quickly recover, and after a couple of weeks he will recover completely. However, in order to make sure that the disease does not return, the baby should be shown the ENT doctor again.
