Otitis is a disease in which one of the ear sections swells and inflames. Otitis can be acute or chronic. This disease can occur regardless of age and often it affects children.
Common types of otitis in children
Otitis in children always proceeds clearly. Symptomatology can be expressed in fever, pain, tearfulness and much more. Often acute otitis quickly acquires a purulent form and passes into a chronic stage.
Thus, acute otitis media is observed in children most often. According to the latest statistics, about 90% of children in the first three years of life at least once suffer from catarrhal, exudative, allergic otitis. Microbes very easily enter the body of the baby and cause ear disease.
Also children are very susceptible to external traumatic otitis. This form of the disease occurs due to injuries and manipulation in the ear canal with sharp and pricking objects. Often the cause of the viral form of the disease is chronic infectious diseases of the nasopharynx and tonsils.
Predisposition of the child's body
Frequent development of otitis in small patients is related to the anatomical structure of the ear: the
- auditory tube in children is relatively wide and short. Thus, not only the infection, but also the food masses can easily penetrate into the tympanum through the tympanum;
- in the first year of life in the ear drum of the baby myxoid embryonic tissue is preserved. Such an environment is very nutritious for microbes and various bacteria;
- otitis media of otitis media in newborns develops on the background of entering amniotic fluid in the tympanic cavity. It happens during childbirth;
- , the cause of frequent recurrent otitis in children is the presence of adenoids. Inflammation of adenoids often passes to the auditory tube and other parts of the middle ear.
All these factors contribute to the development of acute otitis media in children. It is also worth noting that the general immunity in the first years of a child's life is not developed enough, therefore children are prone to infectious diseases.
Why children get otitis media more often
How to recognize
Symptoms of otitis media are poor in infants. The data of the anamnesis at this age are also almost completely absent.
It is important to understand that the behavior of a toddler who suffers from otitis media is very different from the behavior of adults. The presence of an earache in small patients is expressed in the following symptoms:
- loss of calm and sleep;
- sharp screams;
- breast failure due to pain during swallowing;
- rubbing the patient's ear against the mother's hand.
In the early days of the disease progression, the child not only loses sleep, pendular movements of the head can also be observed. With the progression of the disease, the behavior of the child also changes. One can observe:
- oppression;
- drowsiness;
- diarrhea;
- vomiting;
- weight loss.
Symptoms of otitis in a child:
What can I do at home
To suspect an otitis on my own is not to diagnose. In order to be sure that the help provided at home will really help the child, it is worth turning to the clinic.
It is hardly possible to help at home with otitis. The reason is that to get rid of the symptoms of this disease requires a comprehensive treatment consisting of antibiotics, compresses and physiotherapy. It is impossible to prescribe the necessary drugs without examination.
Do not heat the child's ear at high temperatures. This can further heat up the body, lead to heat and deterioration of the general condition of the child. Also, in any case, you can not use boric alcohol at home. This component can cause a burn of the skin and the tympanic membrane itself, which will further exacerbate the child's illness.
Diagnostics
Diagnostics is an obligatory component of correct and full treatment of otitis. In infants, the diagnosis is somewhat complicated. The most important aspect in this case is the correct interpretation of the resulting otoscopic picture.
Difficulty is caused by the slit-shaped form of the auditory meatus, as well as the location( almost horizontal) of the tympanic membrane. Also in infants, the eardrum has a more turbid and thick structure, and when cleaning the ear or even screaming it turns red.
To address it is necessary to the pediatrist and the otolaryngologist( ENT).In addition to otoscopy, the following can be prescribed:
- X-ray of the temporal bones;
- CT;
- audiometry.
If the doctor suspected a possible complication in the child, it is worthwhile additionally being examined by a pediatric neurologist.
Fluid in the ear with purulent otitis
Treatment
Treatment of a child with acute otitis in the acute form should only take place according to the doctor's recommendations. After collecting an anamnesis, the doctor can prescribe a whole range of methods to combat the symptoms and their causes. Therefore, the baby will need to be treated not only with medicines, but also with some folk methods, as well as with physiotherapy procedures.
General recommendations of
Parents need to show all responsibility and punctuality in the treatment of the child. It is compulsory to comply with the doses prescribed by the doctor, and also to conduct all therapeutic measures in accordance with the doctor's recommendations.
Medication
Medication is prescribed by a doctor based on the clinical picture of otitis in a small patient. Also, when prescribing medicines, the age of the patient, his tormenting symptoms and general condition must be taken into account.
One of the most important components of treatment is antibacterial therapy. Children under the age of 2 years are required to prescribe antibiotics. To reduce the inflammatory process of the mucous membranes, vasoconstrictive drugs are prescribed.
Folk methods
For pain in the ear in an infant, an effective remedy can be almond oil. Bury it should be 2 drops in the sore ear.
Also helps with pains walnut oil. It will be difficult to find it in a pharmacy, but it is quite possible to make it yourself. To do this, it is enough to take the walnut, peeled from the shell and squeeze the juice out of it with garlic. Bury the ear also need 2 drops 2 times a day or once when there is a pain syndrome.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy methods are also often appointed by physicians in conjunction with drug and folk therapy. Physiotherapy in otitis in children give a lasting effect and significantly accelerate the recovery of the baby. In addition, these methods are painless and acceptable in cases of treatment of children of different ages.
How to properly treat otitis in a child tells the doctor:
Complications of
In children, otitis is dangerous because of the occurrence of meningism. If meningitis in humans is an inflammation of the meninges, during meningism, the meninges are irritated by the action of bacterial toxins. In this case, the baby can manifest a number of symptoms, among which:
- opacities;
- head tilting;
- vomiting;
- convulsions.
Instructions to parents
Subsequently, after a child has had otitis media, it is worthwhile to observe a number of measures that will help to avoid the re-occurrence of otitis media. There is a set of preventive measures that will help the child no longer remember the pain in the ears:
- prevention and timely treatment of diseases of the upper respiratory tract;
- hardening of a gentle type;
- proper nutrition and compliance with its regime;
- water procedures and hygiene;
- is rich in vitamins and all the necessary microelements diet.
This is sufficient to prevent the disease and the child's well-being.
Prevention
The main method of prevention is to monitor the condition of the child. So, in no case should parents allow the thickening of mucus. Liquid discharge from the nose is not dangerous, but thick mucus can clog the Eustachian tube and lead to the development of a wide variety and dangerous infections leading to otitis.
In order that the mucus does not thicken, parents should remember the factors that contribute to its thickening. There are 3 such factors:
- Lack of fluid in the body of the child, the child should drink more;
- Warm and dry air in the room. Humidify air with a special device or manually, the temperature in the room should not rise above 22-24 degrees Celsius;
- High body temperature. It is necessary to constantly monitor and timely knock down the fever in the child.
And one of the no less important rules is moderation in blowjob. Do not force the child to blow his nose through force.