Do you still remember the taste of ear inflammation? I believe many people can’t remember clearly, because it usually happens when we are still babies.
Epidemiology at home and abroad shows that acute otitis media in infants is a very common infectious disease, and its incidence rate is second only to common cold clinically. At the same time, it is also the most common complication after catching a cold.
Is what otitis media?
Let’s first understand how the infection comes about. In many cases, pathogens will take the opportunity to invade the human body and cause harm. The most common pathogens are bacteria and viruses.
The human ear is divided into three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear is communicated with the outside world. When swimming or bathing, pathogens are easy to flow into the external auditory canal with the water flow, which is easy to cause otitis externa under certain conditions.
(Click on the link on the right to view: Did you protect your ears when swimming? )
There is a thin layer of tympanic membrane between the outer ear and the middle ear. The middle ear is a small air-containing cavity behind the tympanic membrane.
When pathogens invade the middle ear, secretions will accumulate and become thick, exerting pressure on the tympanic membrane. At this time, the baby will feel that the ear is like a balloon that is about to burst, and the pain will make the baby unable to help pulling his ear.
How do pathogens enter the middle ear?
The channel connecting the middle ear to the throat is called the eustachian tube. The eustachian tube maintains the middle ear pressure by regulating the entry and exit of air.
When we were young, especially before the age of 3, the eustachian tube was very short and wide, which made it easier for pathogens and secretions to enter the middle ear through the throat.
As you get older, the eustachian tube grows longer and becomes more powerful, but there are still some hidden dangers. Allergy or cold can block the eustachian tube and cause pathogens to enter the middle ear. When the pathogens multiply to a certain number, they will lead to infection.
Clinical symptoms of ear infection include earache, fever or hearing impairment.
Babies who are too young can’t speak yet, often showing ear pulling. If parents find such a situation, they should be alert to the possibility of otitis media and take their children to the hospital in time.
What will the doctor do?
Doctors will use a special flashlight, the otoscope, to examine the ear canal. The otoscope can clearly see the tympanic membrane, which is the membrane between the outer ear and the middle ear.
When doctors use otoscopes, they inflate in the ear canal. This is to check whether the tympanic membrane vibrates normally with the air. Squeezing and swelling of pus during infection will prevent the tympanic membrane from vibrating with the air.
After the ear canal infection, the doctor decides the next measure. He may ask parents to observe whether the child’s condition improves in the next day or two. It is also possible to prescribe some painkillers to relieve the discomfort.
If the infection is caused by bacteria, doctors will use antibiotics. Antibiotics can eliminate bacterial infection and the disease will soon be relieved.
For more information on how antibiotics treat baby otitis media, please click on the right link to view: Antibiotics are available for treating baby otitis media.
When using antibiotics, the doctor’s advice should be strictly followed. Even if the ear no longer hurts, the medicine should be taken for a specified number of days. If the medication is not regular, the infection will easily recur and the ear will ache again.
Children with chronic or recurrent ear canal infections need further examination. Including audiogram, which tests hearing, and tympanogram, which tests whether tympanic membrane movement is normal.
How to Prevent Ear Canal Infection
How to Prevent Children’s Ear Canal Infection? The first is to put an end to smoking environment, cigarette smoke will affect the eustachian tube function; Thirdly, pay attention to protect your ears when swimming.
Then to prevent colds, you can follow the following measures:
- Stay away from people with colds as far as possible. Wash your hands frequently. Try not to touch your nose and eyes with dirty hands. Blow your nose correctly: Press and hold one nostril with your finger, blow the nose out of the opposite nostril with a little force, and blow the other side in the same way.
Stay away from colds and keep germs out of the ear canal!