How to recognize otitis in infants

1 External form of the disease

Otitis is one of the most common diseases in children. The ear in infants is slightly different from that of adults. In the middle of it are the tympanic membrane and auditory ossicles, as well as the Eustachian tube, which is the connecting link between the ear and the nasopharynx. In infants it is short and wide, because of this pathogenic microorganisms so easily fall from the nose into the ear. This disease in these babies arises not only because they have mucus from the nose penetrating into the ear, but also because they almost all the time lie and breast milk in the process of sucking easily gets into the ear from the nasopharynx.

There are many kinds of otitis, among them there are inflammations of not only the inner ear, but also the external one. This disease is external otitis media. This disease occurs when an infection enters the external auditory canal, for example, when cleaning the ears. For this disease, the following symptoms are typical:

• redness of the skin around the ear canal;
• auditory meatus narrowed due to arisen edema with inflammation;
• often translucent fluid from the ear;
• on the skin of the outer ear sometimes appear bubbles.

The disease begins acutely, with a sharp rise in temperature to 39 ° C.The child is shivering, he refuses to eat. If the cause of the disease is a furuncle in the ear, this can be determined by the increase of parotid lymph nodes and painfulness with pressure on the ear. After a few days the boil ripens, bursts, and the pain passes.

2 Acute and chronic form of

Among inflammations of the middle ear, acute otitis media occurs most frequently. As a rule, a baby has ARVI, and against her background also an inflammation of the middle ear. This disease often occurs in weakened children, premature babies or on artificial feeding and therefore not receiving maternal antibodies transmitted with milk. Acute otitis media is catarrhal and purulent. Catarrhal otitis has the following symptoms:

1. The child has an unbearable earache. The baby can not say this, so he cries loudly, twists his head, sometimes grinds his teeth.
2. A very characteristic sign of this disease - the baby tries to occupy the same position, lies on its side on the side where the ear hurts. Often touches his hand.
3. The child refuses to suck the breast, as sucking and swallowing dramatically increase pain.
4. If you press on the tragus of the ear, the baby will cry and will dodge from touching this zone.
5. The temperature rises, the child becomes listless, irritable. Diarrhea and vomiting may occur.

This form of inflammation of the middle ear is dangerous because it very quickly passes into a purulent stage, pus begins to flow from the ear, which is a sign of rupture of the tympanic membrane. This condition requires urgent consultation of a doctor, so the baby needs to put the cotton wool in the ear, put something on his head and go to the polyclinic or call the doctor at the house.

Sometimes, for some reasons, acute otitis becomes chronic. The reason for this may be a decrease in immunity, rickets, diabetes mellitus, frequent colds, etc. The main signs of chronic otitis media are as follows:

• from the auricle, the child has pus from time to time;
• baby begins to hear worse.

Otitis in an infant may be very diverse. Each child, they proceed according to their scenario. The most important thing is that you need to notice the first signs of beginning otitis in time and immediately seek help from medical professionals. Do not expect that everything will pass by itself, especially at the baby. If you start treating the disease in time, it easily passes. If you delay with treatment, the result can be very deplorable. Children with diseases of the middle ear should be under the supervision of a doctor throughout the treatment of the disease.