Our children are the apple of our eye and our future. Since children, unlike adults, are in a period of growth, we need to pay close attention to their healthy growth. Families need to be more careful in this age group, especially since children in the early childhood and early school periods cannot express themselves adequately. Fluid accumulation in the middle ear, in medical terms serous otitis, is an insidious disease that is mostly seen in children in this age group. Its insidiousness is that it causes hearing loss in the child without causing pain or discharge in the ear. Parents need to be careful here. Fluid accumulation in the middle ear causes symptoms such as hearing loss, delayed perception of stimuli, and attention deficit in the playful child. If not noticed in time, hearing loss progresses and may be permanent. This may cause speech delay or speech impairment. Good communication should be established with the child and observed carefully. In school children, hearing loss can cause a decrease in academic success and difficulty in concentration. Due to hearing screenings performed in schools from time to time, fluid accumulation in the middle ear is more easily recognized in this age group. Sometimes this situation does not go unnoticed by a careful teacher and can warn the family. A child who does not have ear pain or discharge but has hearing loss should be examined by an ear, nose and throat doctor. Fluid accumulation in the middle ear can be easily diagnosed with a complete ear, nose and throat examination, middle ear pressure test and audiometry if necessary. The treatment of fluid accumulation in the middle ear is primarily medical, that is, with medication. In most patients, hearing loss improves with two weeks of medication. In some cases, the fluid in the middle ear may be resistant to dissolution and recovery may take several weeks. If hearing loss cannot be corrected despite medical treatment, surgical treatment is required. A temporary tube is surgically inserted into the eardrum, and the tube is often removed after six months or a year. Stay healthy.
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