If the child began to hear worse after or during the illness, then this is a temporary condition that will pass a maximum of three weeks after recovery. But in any case, you need to contact a pediatrician to exclude otolaryngological pathologies.
Hearing impairment in children
If the child's hearing is getting worse, the otolaryngologist will most likely diagnose hearing loss. This is a violation of the auditory function, in which the perception of sounds is somewhat difficult.
In Russia, such a violation is typical for more than 600 thousand children, while in 0.3% of young patients the problems are congenital in nature, in 80% hearing loss manifests itself in the first three years of life. Hearing loss at an early age is associated with the development of intelligence and speech function, so the identification and recovery of children with hearing loss is an important task of practical pediatrics.
The specifics of therapy depends on the type of disorder and the causes of hearing loss. Did your child become hard of hearing at 3 years old? This condition may be temporary, but there are more serious situations,therefore, you need to contact an ENT doctor to sort out the problem.
Classification of hearing loss
Hearing loss can be stable, progressive and reversible. With stable hearing is not restored during treatment, progressive is characterized by permanent hearing loss, can lead to complete deafness. Reversible hearing loss is amenable to medical therapy, hearing is restored over time.
Doctors distinguish neurosensory hearing loss caused by damage to the nerve endings, the auditory center or the inner ear, and conductive hearing loss, that is, a violation of the transmission of a sound wave to the inner ear. Mixed hearing loss is a combination of the above types of pathology.
Hearing impairment can be congenital or acquired. So, if a child of 5 years old began to hear poorly after an illness, then this is an acquired temporary hearing loss, a complication of an ear disease or a general infectious one. The disorder may become progressive if the clinical condition is not diagnosed and treated appropriately.
Degrees of hearing loss in children
If a child of 5 years old has become hard of hearing, the reasons will be revealed by the doctor during the examination. Also, the otolaryngologist will determine the degree of hearing loss. In the first case, children do not hear ordinary speech well in a noisy environment, the second is characterized by poor speech audibility under normal conditions and with a single pronunciation of a word. In the third degree, the child hears only those words that are pronounced near the ear. Fourth degree - deafness.
Causes of congenital hearing loss
If a child at the age of 4 suddenly began to hear badly, then the hearing loss is acquired. Congenital hearing loss is diagnosed much earlier. The cause of hearing loss from birth can be profound prematurity, birth trauma, low birth weight (up to 1.5 kg), a woman taking antibiotics during pregnancy or infectious diseases of the mother, intrauterine hypoxia.
Acquired hearing loss
If the child began to hear worse after otitis, then we are talking about acquired hearing loss, which is temporary. Hearing impairment can be caused by diseases of the upper respiratory tract (runny nose, enlarged adenoids, rhinitis), complications after measles, chickenpox, scarlet fever and other infectious pathologies, kidney problems or the common cold.
In a small child, hearing may be impaired if the outer or middle ear is damaged, caused, for example, by the introduction of foreign objects (small parts of toys, cotton, pencil, designer) or a traumatic brain injury. The ear canal can be blocked by a sulfuric plug. Such a problem does not depend on hygiene, because the release of sulfur is a normal physiological process.
Hearing may be temporarily impaired by exposure to very loud sounds (85 decibels or more) or by taking certain medications. Hearing complications can be given by antibiotics or neomycin drugs.
How to detect declinehearing
If the child began to hear worse, then he will stop responding to calls that are pronounced in a normal voice in the usual conditions. Alarms can be complaints of discomfort or tinnitus, constant asking questions and requests to repeat. Some fathers and mothers notice that the child began to speak more slowly or louder, asking to increase the volume of the TV. These signs of hearing loss should be a reason to see a specialist.
Children who cannot yet speak should respond to loud and harsh sounds. Usually the baby turns his head towards the source of the sound of medium volume. If the child does not respond, then it is worth showing it to the pediatrician. Hearing loss can be suspected by the nature of the cooing, which will become less frequent and more monotonous, because the baby does not hear intonations.
Special attention should be paid to children who have suffered severe infectious diseases or traumatic brain injuries. Such pathologies often cause complications in the form of temporary hearing loss.
Hearing loss treatment
If the child has become less hearing, you first need to find out the exact cause of this condition. The chosen treatment tactics will depend on the cause that caused the hearing loss. Therapy for conductive hearing loss, as a rule, consists in the appointment of special drugs (including antibiotics), physiotherapy, electrophoresis, vibration massage of the membrane and blowing through the Politzer.
With stable hearing loss from the third degree and above, special devices are used. Hearing aids are selected on an individual basis, they can be in-ear or behind-the-ear. Sensorineural hearing loss and mixed hearing loss are treated in a hospital setting. Medicines are prescribed that stimulate blood flow and activate the immune system. Reflexology and physiotherapy procedures are required.
Hearing loss is compensated by the installation of a special implant. Surgical treatment is prescribed for the ineffectiveness of traditional methods and the progression of disorders. It is important for parents to remember that successful treatment is possible only with timely access to a specialist.
How to cure otitis in a child
Inflammation of the middle ear often occurs against the background of an acute respiratory viral or infectious disease. Therefore, if a child has a runny nose and began to hear poorly, you need to contact a pediatrician to rule out otitis media.
As part of the therapy, oral antibiotics are prescribed. Treatment usually begins with ceflosporins and penicillins. If you are allergic to these medicines, macrolide medicines may be prescribed, but they are not as effective as penicillins or ceflosporins.
In the early stages of the disease, it makes no sense to use antibiotics in the form of drops in the ear. Only drops with decongestant and analgesic effects are used. In the acute form of the disease, it is necessary to instill vasoconstrictor drugs into the nose. This will help restore the physiological connection between the middle ear and the nasal cavity. If there is no pus, then you can do warm compresses that are applied aroundear.
Acute otitis in the first three years of life endure about 90% of children. This is due to the peculiarities of the anatomical structure of the tube that connects the nasal and ear cavities. In young children, it is much shorter and much wider than in adults.
The Eustachian tube may swell to such an extent that the lumen closes. As a result, the eardrum may perforate, which threatens with persistent hearing loss and meningitis. Therefore, it is so important to treat otitis in time.
Removal of sulfur plug
If the child began to hear worse, then it is possible that the reason is the formation of a sulfur plug. It cannot be removed at home. The child needs to be shown to a pediatrician or an otolaryngologist. The removal procedure is painless and takes a little time.
If a visit to the doctor is not possible, the cork can be softened with special drops or peroxide (3% solution), a few drops of which should be dripped into the ear. You should carefully read the instructions for ear drops, because some of them have important features of use and contraindications.
Otipax, for example, is a good anti-inflammatory and antiseptic, but contains substances that can cause a severe allergic reaction in a child. You can not bury cold medicine. Drops must first be warmed in the palms. Otherwise, irritation of the inner ear will occur, which can lead to vomiting, nausea, and dizziness.
After washing out sulfur for prevention, you need to instill a weak solutionhydrogen peroxide (five drops each) or vaseline oil. After the procedure, fifteen to twenty minutes, the child should lie on his side. Then the ear canal must be cleaned with a cotton tourniquet.
