~ Health Wise ~
Ear infections can be the cause of hearing problems in children
Sara West
Issue date: 12/7/04 Section: Lifestyles
When babies and children present such symptoms as pulling or scratching at the ears, fever, vomiting, ear drainage and unstoppable crying and irritability, the most probable diagnosis is otitis media, or the common middle ear infection.
T.K. Parthasarathy, an SIUE speech language pathology and audiology professor, said ear infections are the most common reasons parents present children to the physician's office, falling second only to the common cold. Furthermore, annual healthcare costs related to both diagnosis and management of otitis media estimate nearly $4 billion.
"Nothing about otitis media is easy," Parthasarathy said in an article "Otitis Media: A primer on diagnosis and management," that he wrote with Vishwa Bhat and Gita J. Malur.
Symptoms of ear infections may also include dizziness or loss of balance, a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear and hearing problems.
The physician will confirm a diagnosis of otitis media by careful examination through an otoscope, an instrument that allows the physician to inspect the middle ear for redness or fluid buildup behind the eardrum. If the ear is swollen and fluid and mucus are trapped in the ear, it is called acute otitis media. However, if the fluid stays trapped in the ear after the infection has resolved itself, it is called otitis media with effusion.
Parthasarathy said ear infections are commonly caused by an upper respiratory viral infection. The eustachian tube does not ventilate the middle ear properly, leading to fluid accumulation. Since infants and children have smaller, more horizontal eustachian tubes, the tube is more easily blocked by infections.
The ear infection can also lead to a bacterial invasion.
"Medical treatment is the first line of defense," Parthasarathy said in his article. However, he added, "medications are no longer automatically prescribed ... because spontaneous resolution of AOM and OME is so common."
Physicians will prescribe antibiotics to children under the age of two, but for older children, the physician will wait a few days to see if the infection resolves itself. Some children, however, fall susceptible to reoccurring infection.
T.K. Parthasarathy, an SIUE speech language pathology and audiology professor, said ear infections are the most common reasons parents present children to the physician's office, falling second only to the common cold. Furthermore, annual healthcare costs related to both diagnosis and management of otitis media estimate nearly $4 billion.
"Nothing about otitis media is easy," Parthasarathy said in an article "Otitis Media: A primer on diagnosis and management," that he wrote with Vishwa Bhat and Gita J. Malur.
Symptoms of ear infections may also include dizziness or loss of balance, a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear and hearing problems.
The physician will confirm a diagnosis of otitis media by careful examination through an otoscope, an instrument that allows the physician to inspect the middle ear for redness or fluid buildup behind the eardrum. If the ear is swollen and fluid and mucus are trapped in the ear, it is called acute otitis media. However, if the fluid stays trapped in the ear after the infection has resolved itself, it is called otitis media with effusion.
Parthasarathy said ear infections are commonly caused by an upper respiratory viral infection. The eustachian tube does not ventilate the middle ear properly, leading to fluid accumulation. Since infants and children have smaller, more horizontal eustachian tubes, the tube is more easily blocked by infections.
The ear infection can also lead to a bacterial invasion.
"Medical treatment is the first line of defense," Parthasarathy said in his article. However, he added, "medications are no longer automatically prescribed ... because spontaneous resolution of AOM and OME is so common."
Physicians will prescribe antibiotics to children under the age of two, but for older children, the physician will wait a few days to see if the infection resolves itself. Some children, however, fall susceptible to reoccurring infection.
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