The eardrum is located deep in the ear canal. The eardrum is a thin membrane that vibrates when sound waves come.
The middle ear is a space filled with air located behind the eardrum. When the eardrum vibrates, the small ossicles (anvil, stirrup, hammer) in the middle ear cavity also vibrate and transmit the sound to the inner ear. The nerves in the inner ear that transmit sound
to the brain are stimulated. Between the middle ear and the nasal passage at the back of the nose, there is a small canal called the Eustachian tube. The function of the Eustachian tube is to equalize the air pressure in the middle ear cavity with the
atmospheric pressure in the external environment. The sounds coming from the ear when yawning or swallowing belong to this pressure equalization
process.
The most common disorder in young children is ear infection. The majority of ear infections are caused by outer ear and middle ear infections and blockage of the canal connecting the ear and throat. If these infections are not treated
in time, they can be dangerous in the future. Earache symptoms; hypersensitivity, loss of appetite and
fever.
External Ear Inflammation
It occurs in the skin lining the external ear canal. If your child stays in chlorinated water for too long or puts a foreign object into his/her ear and scratches the ear skin, this may lead to external ear infection. Symptoms;
ear pain when lying on it, redness in the outer ear canal, discharge from the ear and itching inside the ear.
Middle Ear Inflammation (Otitis Media)
Acute otitis media, ear It is an inflammation of the middle ear cavity behind the membrane. In children, the eustachian tube
is shorter than in adults, and therefore it is easier for microbes to reach the middle ear from the nose.
As a result, pus fluid accumulates in the middle ear; The pressure exerted by the fluid causes pain and the inability of the eardrum to vibrate. For this reason, some hearing loss occurs during otitis media. When bacteria are killed with appropriate drug treatment, the fluid in the middle ear disappears and hearing improves.
Acute otitis media is a common disease of childhood.
2/3 of children up to the age of three experience otitis media at least once. Treatment of acute otitis media It is done with
antibiotics. Even if effective antibiotic treatment is administered, in 40% of children, non-inflamed fluid remains in the middle ear for another 3-6 weeks and may cause mild hearing loss, which recovers later
.
Middle ear infections are also common in children who have frequent upper respiratory tract infections. For this reason,
colds and ear problems are more common in children who begin to enter crowded environments for the first time, such as in kindergartens,
especially in the first two years.
Other types of middle ear infections. There are also. Otitis media with effusion (serous otitis media) is the presence of fluid in the middle ear for more than six weeks. This is due to the fact that in some children, the eustachian tube cannot function to carry air to the middle ear, even though they have not experienced acute otitis media. If
inflammation lasts for a long time, damage to the middle ear and eardrum may occur, and continuous discharge begins from a hole in the eardrum that does not
heal. This is called chronic otitis media. Treatment of such middle ear infections
should be done by an Ear-Nose-Throat specialist.
Symptoms and Findings
Older children express complaints of a feeling of fullness in the ear, pain and hearing loss. They can. In young children, the first symptoms may be restlessness, sleep disturbance or loss of appetite. Children of all ages may have fever.
These symptoms are usually accompanied by upper respiratory tract infection complaints such as runny nose and cough, which accompany middle ear infection. In severe middle ear infections, perforation of the eardrum
may occur. As a result, the inflammation in the middle ear drains from the ear canal, the pain decreases and the fever decreases.
The hole in the eardrum usually closes spontaneously as a result of treatment.
Prevention of the Disease
In newborn babies, substances that pass through breast milk The immunity it provides prevents the development of acute otitis media. The position of breast-fed children during feeding is more suitable for the normal function of the Eustachian tube than that of bottle-fed children; For this reason, otitis media is less common in breast-fed children than in bottle-fed children.
If the child needs to be fed with a bottle, feeding in a sitting position is better than feeding in a lying down position.
Duration of the Disease
The recovery time of middle ear infection may vary. Even if it is not treated at all, it may resolve spontaneously within 48 hours
. Sometimes, despite treatment with antibiotics, fluid continues to remain in the middle ear for 2 weeks to 2 months
. This fluid usually disappears on its own, but hearing may have decreased during this time. Middle ear infection is not contagious, but its main cause, upper respiratory tract infection, can be contagious.
Home Treatment
Middle ear infection must first be evaluated by your doctor. Methods that can be applied at home
are aimed at relieving the child. The child can sleep comfortably with painkillers and antipyretics.
Children with ear discharge should not swim, and water contact with the ear in the bathroom should be prevented with earplugs.
Your doctor will tell you how to prepare the earplug or what type of earplug it is. He/she will
explain to you that you need to obtain a plug.
Medical Treatment
Acute otitis media is usually treated with antibiotics and medications
that will correct the function of the eustachian tube. Sometimes, if the child's eardrum becomes very swollen due to inflammation and causes severe pain, it may be necessary to drain the inflammation by making a small incision (paracentesis) in the eardrum. After this procedure
the eardrum usually heals within a week.
Parents often worry about whether there will be permanent hearing loss. If appropriate treatment
is given and the medications are used in the recommended dosage and duration, the possibility of permanent hearing loss is very low.
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