Xiaohua has had a cold for a few days. Last night, he suddenly woke up from his sleep and cried loudly. When his ears were touched with his hands unintentionally, he cried even more. His parents were overwhelmed and sent Xiaohua to the hospital overnight for medical attention. After examination, the doctor diagnosed acute otitis media and thought it was related to a cold. What’s going on here? Parents always want to understand. It turns out that the eyes, ears, nose and other organs of the head are interconnected, as the so-called “seven orifices” are connected. One of them is the Eustachian tube, one end of which leads to the middle ear cavity and the other end opens in the nasopharynx. The opening of the nasopharynx is normally closed, but only when people swallow, chew, open their mouths or yawn, it is opened momentarily, allowing air to enter the middle ear cavity continuously and maintaining the air pressure balance between the middle ear cavity and the outer ear canal, so that sound waves can be fully transmitted to the inner ear. When you have a cold or flu, the nasal mucosa becomes acutely congested and swollen, and the nasal discharge mixed with germs flows from time to time toward the posterior nostril, through the nasopharynx, and is spit out by the mouth. If the purulent nasal mucus produced during the cold and flu period enters the middle ear cavity through the opening of the Eustachian tube, then infection can also be caused in the middle ear cavity. Especially when the body’s resistance is low, it can cause a purulent infection in the middle ear cavity, acute otitis media, and severe ear pain. The fact that children are prone to acute otitis media attacks when they have a cold is related to the special structure of the eustachian tube in children. In adults, the Eustachian tube is thin and long, and it is at a certain angle to the horizontal, so it is not easy for germs to enter the middle ear cavity through the Eustachian tube. In children, the Eustachian tube is still growing and developing, and it is short and thick, and almost on the same plane as the horizontal plane. Thus, once the opening of the Eustachian tube is opened during a cold, purulent nasal mucus can easily enter the middle ear through the opening of the Eustachian tube, which is an objective condition that makes children susceptible to otitis media. To prevent acute otitis media in children, we must pay attention to the following points: 1. Actively treat colds and flu to reduce the danger of the condition to the body. 2. Follow the doctor’s orders and insist on using nasal drops. 3.During the period of cold, discharge the pus nasal snot in the nose in time, but do not blow the nose with both hands to avoid pressing the pus nasal snot into the opening of the eustachian tube. 4.When you have acute otitis media, you should take ear drops of anti-inflammatory drugs and symptomatic antibiotics in time. To avoid the increase of middle ear pus causing tympanic membrane perforation, resulting in purulent otitis media and affecting future hearing.