Ear scratching, irritability, decreased auditory response, ear canal water, combined with fever? Don’t ignore these typical signs of otitis media in children! March 3 is Ear Care Day, and this year’s theme is “Concern for Children’s Hearing Health,” and otitis media is one of the most important factors that can endanger children’s hearing health. Since it is difficult for children to describe the symptoms of ear pain, ear congestion or hearing loss, it is often easy for families to overlook them and delay treatment. Therefore, mothers and fathers should be alert when their babies have similar reactions and take them to the ENT specialist at the hospital in time. 1.Why is otitis media more prevalent in children and infants? First of all, let’s understand the structure of the middle ear and the characteristics of children and infants. We often refer to the middle ear as the inner cavity of the tympanic membrane that can be seen through the external ear canal, but in reality, the tympanic membrane is like the relationship between a window and a house, i.e. the part of the middle ear that the tympanic membrane corresponds to is only a small part of the middle ear, and a large part of it cannot be seen by conventional examination. It consists of three main parts: the mastoid cavity, the tympanic chamber, and the eustachian tube. In infancy and childhood, the eustachian tube is relatively flat and short, about 1/2 to 2/3 of the size of an adult’s. There is also a large amount of lymphoid tissue, the adenoids, at the opening of the nasopharynx, making it susceptible to middle ear inflammatory disease in children and infancy. 2. Why is the proportion of babies with acute otitis media high? Acute otitis media in children and infants is caused by pathogens entering the tympanic cavity through the eustachian tube for various reasons. The most common cause is upper respiratory tract infection. Other causes include forceful nose blowing, choking and coughing, airplane travel, diving, exposure to irritating gases, environmental pollution, second-hand smoke, and long-term use of rubber nipples. In otitis media with fluid accumulation, there are mostly risk factors such as adenoid hypertrophy and tonsillar hypertrophy that cause dysfunction in the ventilation and drainage of the eustachian tube. Acute otitis media is often characterized by ear pain, ear congestion, tinnitus, and hearing loss. In children, it is mainly characterized by repeated ear scratching, crying, fever, poor auditory response, and, when the eardrum is perforated, by running water from the ear. When a child’s voice becomes lower and there is nasal congestion, excessive snot, snoring or open-mouth breathing, the child should be alert to the presence of effusion otitis media. 3. How to treat acute otitis media scientifically? The conventional treatment for acute otitis media includes anti-infection, cooling, cleaning the external ear canal, cleaning the nasal cavity, and improving the function of the eustachian tube. If there is no significant improvement in 2 weeks of treatment, treatment such as tympanic membrane puncture or even tympanotomy and tube placement should be performed. In cases of otitis media with inner ear and intracranial complications, a combination of medication and surgery is required. Since otitis media is a disabling disease, the timing of treatment is particularly important. Therefore, if you have found that your baby has the above-mentioned problems, you should visit the hospital in time for your baby to grow up healthier!