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Youngsters Are Prone to Ear Infections

Youngsters Are Prone to Ear Infections

Your one-year old is getting over a cold.Now she’s bumping her head on the side of her crib and running a fever. Now what?

She may have a middle ear infection – a problem that strikes three out of four children before their third birthday.I see children in our ear, nose and throat practice in Fairfield County, CT with ear infections often.Middle ear inflammation (otitis media) often occurs when germs from a cold or other illness spread to the ear.If the child is old enough to say his ear hurts, the problem may be easy to spot. In the younger kids, in younger kids it can be subtle.

Infants and small children tend to get ear infections because their Eustachian tubes (which link the upper throat to the middle ear) are smaller and more horizontal than those of adults.When mucus or swelling from a cold or infection blocks the tube, the middle ear isn’t ventilated properly.Fluid begins to collect, and this may cause pain, hearing difficulty, and loss of balance.

A child who has ear pain needs to be examined by a doctor, particularly if she’s just getting over another illness.Once you get a diagnosis, the main thing you can do to help your child is ease the pain.The first 24 to 36 hours tend to be the most painful. After that, it drops dramatically. I advise acetaminophen or ibuprofen to ease the pain for my patients with ear infections in Fairfield County, CT. The majority of children with otitis media won’t benefit from an antibiotic.Antibiotics only work against bacteria, not viruses.

Many studies have found that after two to seven days with ear infections, children who were treated with antibiotics fared just slightly better than children who weren’t.Your doctor may want to see if your child improves without an antibiotic first. A child who is 2 years or older and does not have a severe illness is the best candidate to wait and see for a few days.

If your child is younger than six months old, your doctor may give an antibiotic right away.If fluid buildup lingers or recurs, doctors sometimes implant temporary tubes to help drain the ear. But your doctor may prefer to wait for the fluid to go away on its own. Otherwise healthy children with fluid in their ears can be monitored for extensive periods of time as long as there’s no evidence of eardrum damage, pain or functional problems.

Doctors are more likely to suggest tube implants for children who face developmental delays due to other problems or who are having recurrent bad ear infections (especially infants and toddlers).

Common Signs Of Ear Infection In Children

If your child isn’t old enough to say, “My ear hurts,” watch for these signs:

  • Unusual irritability
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Tugging or pulling at one or both ears
  • Fever
  • Fluid draining from the ear
  • Loss of balance
  • Lack of response to quiet sounds or other signs of hearing difficulty

At Advanced Ear Nose & Throat Care, our physicians Dr. Michael Bard, Dr. James Batti, Dr. Dov Bloch, Dr. Anthony Fama, Dr. Jay Klarsfeld, and Dr. Jeffrey Monroe treat most conditions of the ear, head, neck, eyes, nose and throat. These conditions range from ear infections, tonsil and adenoids, sleep disturbance, thyroid nodules and palate surgery to nasal polyps, deviated septum sleep apnea and silent reflux. We are conveniently located in Fairfield County, CT in the towns of Danbury, New Milford, Norwalk, Ridgefield and Southbury.

– Dr. James Batti, Pediatric Otolaryngologist

ebook for cold or flu information


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Multi-Specialty Private Practice with six locations in Fairfield County, CT