1. Is otitis media common in children?
Pediatric otitis media is very common. Sometimes babies have ear pain in the middle of the night, which is most likely caused by otitis media.
2. What kind of otitis media is common in children?
There are acute otitis media, acute suppurative otitis media, herpetic tympanitis, secretory otitis media, and adhesive otitis media, etc.
3.What causes otitis media in children?
Upper respiratory tract infection, sinusitis, adenoid hypertrophy, water in the ear, and pharyngeal tube ventilation dysfunction can all cause otitis media.
4. Can improper breastfeeding of infants and children lead to otitis media?
Sometimes improper breastfeeding of infants and children and choking on milk may also cause otitis media.
5. What causes can cause ventilation dysfunction of the eustachian tube in children?
Adenoid hypertrophy, chronic sinusitis, and nasal polyps may cause mechanical obstruction of the eustachian tube in pediatric patients, resulting in eustachian tube ventilation dysfunction. There are also congenital malformations of the eustachian tube, or nasopharyngeal tumors can cause pediatric eustachian tube ventilation dysfunction.
6.What are the manifestations of pediatric otitis media?
Acute otitis media mainly manifests as ear pain, ear ooze, and in some cases, pus flowing from the ear. Secretory otitis media mainly manifests as hearing loss, ear stuffiness, tinnitus and other discomforts.
7.What are the characteristics of otitis media in children of different ages?
In infants and toddlers, the main manifestation of otitis media is crying at night, and a large proportion of them already have pus flowing when they visit the clinic; in older children, the main manifestation is ear pain, and some of them come to the clinic with hearing loss, while some others are more insidious and are detected only because of pre-operative examination of adenoid hypertrophy.
8. How can parents detect pediatric otitis media early?
If your baby cries at night with ear scratching, consider that it may be caused by otitis media. It is recommended to visit an ENT clinic to rule out otitis media. Some babies who watch TV loudly are recommended to go to ENT clinic to rule out otitis media.
9.Does pediatric otitis media cause hearing loss?
Repeated otitis media can cause hearing loss, but if treated in a timely manner, it will usually return to normal. However, in some cases, parents do not pay attention to the problem and the repeated attacks cause mixed deafness, which makes it difficult to restore normal hearing.
10.What are the complications of otitis media in children?
In some cases, chronic otitis media may be formed, and in severe cases, it may lead to intracranial and extracranial complications such as subperiosteal abscess behind the ear, acute meningitis, and acute brain abscess.
11.What are the hazards of otitis media in children?
The painful otitis media affects the sleep of children, and repeated attacks of otitis media can affect the hearing of children.
12.Does otitis media in children cause damage to the eardrum?
Acute suppurative otitis media can cause tympanic membrane perforation, but with timely and regular treatment, most tympanic membrane perforations can heal on their own.
13.What tests should be done for pediatric otitis media?
Generally, blood tests are needed to assess the systemic infection, and endoscopy is needed after cleaning the ear canal to see the condition of the eardrum. If necessary, CT of the middle ear should be performed to understand the middle ear condition.
14.How to diagnose pediatric otitis media? What tests can confirm the diagnosis of otitis media in children?
Generally, the diagnosis of pediatric otitis media can be confirmed by the child’s symptoms and the endoscopy after cleaning the ear canal to see the condition of the eardrum, and if necessary, a suitable hearing test is needed for further clarification. Sometimes a CT of the middle ear is also needed to understand the middle ear situation.
15. How can I check the tympanic membrane and middle ear in infants and children?
In general, the ear canal is narrow in infants and children, so it is necessary to clean the ear canal and check the endoscope to see the condition of the eardrum and middle ear.
16.How to determine the type of otitis media in children?
Under the otoscope, we can see the condition of the eardrum and generally clarify which kind of otitis media is present. .
17.Do I have to start treatment for pediatric otitis media once it is diagnosed? How should pediatric otitis media be treated?
Once diagnosed, pediatric otitis media should be treated as soon as possible. The main treatment is symptomatic. In the acute stage, local ear drops and oral antibiotics are needed (full course and regular use), and in severe cases, intravenous antibiotics are needed. Secretory otitis media needs to be treated with nasal spray and oral medication for fluid drainage, as well as assisted puffing and pharyngeal tube blowing.
18.Does medication for pediatric otitis media affect growth and development?
Pediatric otitis media medication generally does not affect the growth and development of children.
19.What is the effect of medication for otitis media in children?
As long as pediatric otitis media is treated with regular and adequate medication, the effect is usually very good.
20.When should surgery be performed for otitis media in children?
If otitis media does not heal repeatedly for more than 3 months, affects the child’s hearing, has serious hearing loss, and is accompanied or not accompanied by adenoid hypertrophy, surgery can be considered.