Earings for Girls

Children are the most susceptible to ear infections. This is because their Eustachian tubes are narrower and shorter than the adults. There are many factors that can affect a child’s ear ache.

Ear aches can be painful, especially for children. Although one may feel it originating from inside the ear, its actual source can be from the inside or along the structured areas which share similar nerves going towards the brain. This is regarded as “referred pain.”

When there is pain inside the ear, it is usually due to an infection. In children, the most common of all ear infections is Acute Otitis Media or the middle ear infection. Next would be the Otitis Externa or the ear canal infection. It is very painful for children and even adults.

Another cause of an ear ache is when there is a blockage on the Eustachian tube, preventing pressure inside the middle ear from balancing with outer pressure. The Eustachian tube is the tube connecting the back part of the nose onto the middle ear. This type of pressure is similar to the ones felt during undersea diving and airplane flights. You can blow on the nose of swallow to relieve such pains.

For ear pains that originate from the outer ear, this may be due to tumors or infections along the throat and nose areas. If there is an ear ache with no apparent ear disorder, it is a standard procedure of doctors to check the sinuses, nose and gums, along with the teeth, tongue and jaw points. They will also check the throat, tonsils and windpipe, as well as the voice box, salivary glands inside the cheeks and the esophagus.

An acute ear infection can clear up in a matter of 1 up to 2 weeks. There are instances when an ear infection becomes chronic and will last longer. After the infection, the fluid usually stays inside the middle ear. This can lead to other infections and even hearing loss.

Common symptoms of acute ear infections include pain and sometimes fever. For very young children, you will just notice them crying and pulling at their ears. The child will also seem listless or irritable. They will find it difficult to eat or sleep.

Treatment of ear infections depends on the root cause of the infection. If the infection is mainly due to the onset of bacteria, antibiotics will be prescribed. For the pain, Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen can be given even to children. Examples of Ibuprofen include Children’s Motrin and Children’s Advil. Examples of Acetaminophen include Infant’s Tylenol or Children’s Tylenol. On no account should you give Aspirin to a child. There have been reports linking it to the Reye’s syndrome.

Another pain treatment for an ear ache is to apply a warm heating pad onto the aching ear. You can also apply some ear drops, although you would need a prescription for it. Children are more prone to ear infections because their Eustachian tubes are narrower and shorter than the adults’. Children ages of 1 to 3 years old are more susceptible.

Children have a higher risk of ear infection if they are exposed to people that smoke, have ear infections in their family history, attend a day care facility and if they had ear infections previously. Aside from this, if children are prematurely born or if they have a low birth weight and use bottles in bed, they are also prone to ear infections.

Other high risk causes of ear infections in children include allergies (nasal congestion), frequent colds or if they use pacifiers or possess nasal speech. Boys are more prone to ear infections than girls.

To prevent these ear infections from afflicting your children again, especially if your child had at least 3 in just a span of 6 months, the doctor will suggest that your child take a low dosage of antibiotics every day. This is especially needed during the winter season when infections more often occur.

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Acute Otitis Media is the inflammation of the middle ear area. There are many factors that make children more susceptible to this infection. Seeing an ENT doctor is essential for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Having an ear infection is not something you can disregard, especially if there is pain for a couple of days already. Seeing an ENT (ear, nose and throat) doctor is highly recommended. If untreated and disregarded, this may lead to total hearing loss.

If there is an inflammation within the middle ear area, it is called “otitis media.” This is why most ENT doctors regard middle ear infections as acute otitis media. Other terms would be “otitis externa” or “swimmer’s ear.”

Acute Otitis Media refers to the presence of fluid or pus within the middle ear area. Symptoms include pain, a somewhat redness of one’s eardrum, and oftentimes, it is accompanied by fever. Hence, there are more chronic types of Otitis Media such as cases where the fluid inside the middle ear has been present for more than 6 weeks already. Another would be instances where the fluid inside the middle ear area is only temporary and is not that infected. This is known as Otitis Media with Effusion.

It is essential for doctors to distinguish the type of Otitis Media infection to come up with the appropriate treatment option. With the different varieties of middle ear infections, not all of them are treatable with antibiotics.

Causes of Acute Otitis Media
There are several reasons why people develop middle ear infections, especially kids ages 2 to 4 years old. Some of the reasons are as follows:
1. Kid’s Eustachian tubes are more horizontal and shorter as compared to adults. This makes them more susceptible to viruses and bacteria. Hence, these tubes are also less stiff and narrower, making them more vulnerable to blockage.

2. Gland-like structures or Adenoids situated in the upper throat’s back portion, which is close to the Eustachian tubes, are larger in children. This actually interferes with their Eustachian tube’s opening.

3. Cigarette smoke exposure

4. Day Care attendance

5. Bottle feeding
Thus, ear infections are more common in boys than in girls. This is doubled if the child’s family has a history of ear infections, and in the winter season when there are a lot of cases of colds and other respiratory tract infections.

Signs and Symptoms of Acute Otitis Media
If suspected with Acute Otitis Media, the signs and symptoms range from extremely mild to relentlessly severe:
1. Ear pain is caused by fluids inside the middle ear area pushing onto the eardrum. In older kids, they will just complain of this ear ache. When it comes to younger kids, they will act more irritably, and then, cry more.

2. A child has trouble sleeping or eats less. This is since chewing, sucking and lying down causes painful pressure alterations inside the middle ear area.

When the pressure of the fluid build-up becomes high enough, this causes the rupturing of the eardrum. This can result to the drainage of fluids from one’s ear. Once the pressure at the back of the eardrum is released, it relieves the pain.

3. Temporary hearing difficulties. This is caused by fluid build-up inside the middle ear area which blocks the sounds. In this case, a child will increase the volume of the radio or TV, become unresponsive to soft sounds, talk louder and become inattentive in school.

4. Cough or stuffy and runny nose. Since ear infections are associated with infections in the upper respiratory tract, similar signs and symptoms are evident.

5. Other symptoms include nausea, fever, dizziness and vomiting.
When it comes to Otitis Media with Effusion, there are no apparent symptoms. However, for some kids, such fluids inside their middle ear area can create a somewhat “popping” or ear fullness sensation. As compared to Acute Otitis Media, fluids at the back of the eardrum block the sounds, causing temporary and mild hearing loss. Thus, even if an ear infection is not contagious, colds that usually lead to some types of ear issues are communicable.

Treating Acute Otitis Media
If you suspect that your child has an ear infection, you need to see an ENT doctor for diagnosis via a physical exam and medical history. In examining the ear, ENT doctors use a small instrument called otoscope. It is like a small flashlight, enabling him to see one’s eardrum. Since there is no regarded best approach when it comes to treating middle ear problems, doctors will only consider certain factors to manage the ear infection of a child. Some of the factors include the severity and type of ear infection, the duration of the infection, the child’s age, the risk factors of the child and if the infection can affect the child’s hearing.

Since there are certain types of ear infections that heal on their own, most ENT doctors will suggest to “wait and see” before they treat the problem with antibiotics. This is also due to some factors pertaining to antibiotic treatment such as its inability to help with a virus infection and its incapability to eliminate the fluids inside the middle ear area. Aside from this, antibiotics can trigger some side effects, especially in children. The most reasonable would be the fact that antibiotics are not good for the liver and it can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can be hard to treat.

Even if antibiotics are not prescribed to you child, you can still give Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen for the pain, especially if there is fever. Most ENT doctors will also prescribe pain-relieving eardrops, but this is only if there is no indication of a ruptured eardrum.

Other conditions that can result to ear aches include teething, hard ear wax and foreign objects inside the ear. It is still best that you see a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.

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