Many parents are constantly faced with the fact that their child often gets sick with otitis media. This disease is quite common. Often, without timely treatment, it becomes more severe, and then it becomes more difficult to cure. Parents are interested if the child has frequent otitis media, what should I do?
About illness
In children, this disease can be of three types. Depending on where the inflammation is concentrated, otitis occurs:
- outer;
- medium;
- domestic.
The inflammatory process is diffuse, in which the eardrum and other structures of the ear are affected, as well as concentrated. The duration of this disease is acute and chronic. Otitis is divided into two types: catarrhal, in which there is no pus, and exudative.
Some children get this disease often, while others rarely. It depends on the immune system and the anatomical features of the structure of the ear. Children, atwhich the auditory tube is short, more often suffer from otitis media. It must be borne in mind that with age, its size returns to normal, otitis occurs less and less often, and sometimes disappear altogether.
Symptoms
With an external ailment, the auricle turns red, sometimes you can see an abscess, which causes throbbing pain. A slight deterioration in hearing occurs when the abscess opens, pus enters the auditory tube.
Otitis media manifests itself:
- shooting in the ear;
- increased pain;
- increased body temperature;
- vestibular disorder;
- dizzy;
- lack of appetite;
- headache;
- slight hearing loss.
A baby who is not yet talking will constantly cry, touch and rub his ear. At the slightest suspicion of otitis in a newborn, you should consult a doctor.
Otitis media most often occurs as a result of improper treatment of otitis media, an advanced form of this disease. It can also appear as a complication after meningitis. It makes itself felt with unexpected severe dizziness, hearing loss and noise in the affected ear.
Reasons
Parents do not understand why the child has frequent otitis, and the reasons are very different. Often the problem is provoked by diseases transferred earlier:
- flu or SARS;
- pharyngitis and laryngitis;
- angina and dental caries;
- common runny nose andhypothermia;
- chickenpox and measles.
While swimming in dirty ponds, water can get into the hearing organ, as a result of infection in the middle ear, inflammation begins. Also, the cause is improper ear hygiene, a strong blow to the ear area. To provoke frequent otitis in a child of 3 years old can get a foreign body into the canal of the organ of hearing. Small children often push various small objects into their ears. In infants, this disease is mainly caused by improper digestion. According to Dr. Komarovsky, the causes of frequent otitis in a child can be a strong pressure of the washing solution used for a runny nose, as well as improper blowing of the nose.
Congenital problems
The appearance of this disease is sometimes associated with hereditary predisposition and other congenital problems:
- poor immunity;
- deviations in physical development;
- complications of pregnancy and childbirth;
- presence of congenital diseases.
If frequent otitis in children is associated precisely with these factors, then only strengthening the immune system and reverent attitude towards the he alth of the child will help.
Provoking diseases
Most often, otitis media becomes a complication after viral and colds. Sometimes it is associated with allergic reactions. If after about a week the child has this disease again, then the inflammation has not been treated. Re-infection is also possible due to a weakened immune system.
In children, the risk of developing otitis media against the background of an infectious disease is great, becausehow pathogenic bacteria, due to the simple structure of the Eustachian tube, are much easier to penetrate into the middle ear. A relapse may occur due to a protracted course of a viral disease. Any irritant is able to start pathological processes again.
Chronization of the disease
To frequent otitis media in a child of 7 years, as well as of another age, may be caused by improper treatment. This malaise becomes chronic when antibiotic treatment is interrupted. The course of treatment with such drugs ranges from a week to 10 days. The disappearance of the main symptoms is observed after 3 days, but this does not mean that the infection has been eliminated, just that the microbes have become less active under the action of the drug.
Incorrect treatment
Parents whose children often get otitis media sometimes do not go to the hospital, but treat themselves with the help of folk remedies, warming up and instilling all kinds of drops into the ears. However, such treatment is very dangerous, especially for infants. This attitude leads to the fact that the disease becomes protracted and in the future it will take much longer to be treated.
There are cases when parents, after three days of inpatient treatment, when the child feels better, take him out of the hospital under personal responsibility. But it must be borne in mind that the drugs have only begun to act and only slightly muffled the symptoms. Interrupted treatment ends in complications.
Treatment
If a child has persistent otitis, what to do, the doctor will tell you. correcttreatment is possible only under his direct supervision, although this applies only to a mild form, or in stationary conditions. When a child has such a disease 3 times or more in a year, an additional, more detailed examination is necessary to determine the cause.
It must be borne in mind that in addition to the main methods of treatment, it is desirable to take vitamins that will help strengthen the immune system. In the hospital, after a visual examination, testing, the doctor will begin treatment, but after the diagnosis is confirmed. The course of drugs is selected individually, while the characteristics of the organism are necessarily taken into account. Most likely, you will have to lie in the hospital for about 10 days.
Treatment according to Komarovsky
As Komarovsky warns, frequent otitis in a child cannot be treated with folk remedies and alternative medicine recipes, as they can cause an allergic reaction. His main recommendation is to seek medical help in a timely manner.
When the purulent form of the disease is prohibited:
- alcohol and warm compresses;
- warming up;
- instilling warm oil.
With frequent otitis media in children, what to do, according to Komarovsky, at the beginning of the disease? Treatment of sudden onset otitis media, the doctor advises to start with the instillation of vasoconstrictor drops into the nose. Drugs such as "Nazol baby", "Nazivin Sensitive" and "Nazivin" will help reduce the lumen of blood vessels in the nasal mucosaand relieve swelling in the auditory tube. It must be borne in mind that they can be used no more than 5 days. The use of these drops will help prevent the development of the disease. However, no ear drops should be instilled into a child without the permission of a doctor. The doctor, after an appropriate examination, may prescribe a passage:
- UHF therapy;
- ultraviolet heating;
- electrophoresis.
These physiotherapy procedures will help to avoid complications, and their implementation also helps to speed up the recovery process. They should be carried out daily for 10 days.
In otitis media, when there is an increase in temperature, it is required to use painkillers and antipyretic drugs. To relieve pain, various drops with an anesthetic are used. However, they can be used exclusively for their intended purpose, since many of them are contraindicated in case of damage to the membrane. But only a doctor can see this with a thorough examination.
External otitis is treated with antiseptic treatment, while internal otitis requires symptomatic treatment. According to Komarovsky, with frequent otitis in children, the regimen for the use of antibiotics is prescribed individually. It is very important to follow the timing and dosage, this will help reduce the risk of relapse.
Complications
If the treatment is incorrect or untimely, and otitis media begins to develop rapidly, it is likely that it will become chronic or complications will develop. They can be:
- hearing loss;
- lesion of the vestibular apparatus;
- paresis of the facial nerve;
- irritation of the meninges;
- inflammation of the mastoid process of the temporal bone (mastoiditis).
Disease prevention
With frequent otitis in children, parents need to be more careful about their he alth. You need to make sure that he is dressed according to the weather. In hot weather, it is not necessary to wrap up the ears, because in this case the head will sweat, and the auditory organs may be blown out. In the cold, ears should be well covered.
You need to pay attention to strengthening the immune system of a maturing organism. To do this, periodically give vitamin-mineral complexes, which should be selected by a pediatrician, preferably one who has been observing a child from birth, knows the characteristics of his body. You should watch that the baby does not fall and does not hit his head. He should not be allowed to come into contact with sick children. Frequent otitis in babies occurs, as a rule, in the cold season, as well as during the period of mass incidence of respiratory viral infections. Doctors recommend avoiding crowded places.
It is very important to teach a child to blow his nose correctly from childhood. During the procedure of washing the nose, damage to the mucous membrane should not be allowed. Be especially careful when feeding a baby. It is necessary to ensure that he does not overeat, and after feeding, you need to hold him for some time in an upright position. One of the likely causes of frequent otitis is very dry air in the apartment, soregular ventilation is required. Failure to follow the rules of hygiene of the child can lead to the fact that otitis media will relapse.
You need to make sure that the baby does not put anything in his ear, nose or mouth, as there is a possibility of infection and injury to the external auditory organs. In order to prevent the recurrence of otitis, parents need to properly perform hygienic cleansing procedures, monitor how and with what the child plays. Ear hygiene is very important. It is necessary to do everything so that as little as possible and less water gets into the ear canal. For children, it is important to prevent exposure to pressure drops and loud sounds. Otitis media is a serious disease that often affects children. Timely treatment will help relieve pain and relieve inflammation.
