Disclaimer:

All material on this website is provided for your information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction and should not take the place of health care or services you may need. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Ear infections

Since I haven't covered too many topics for parents with young children, I thought I'd provide some information on a very common problem for little ones--ear infections.

Ear infections are the most common illnesses in babies and young children. Most often, the infection affects the middle ear and is called otitis media. The tubes inside the ears become clogged with fluid and mucus. This can affect hearing, because sound cannot get through all that fluid.

If your child does not yet talk, you need to look for signs of an infection:

Tugging at ears
Crying more than usual
Ear drainage
Trouble sleeping
Balance difficulties
Hearing problems

Often, ear infections go away on their own, but your health care provider may recommend pain relievers. Severe infections and infections in young babies may require antibiotics. Children who get frequent infections may need surgery to place small tubes inside their ears. The tubes relieve pressure in the ears so that the child can hear again.

I found some great information from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders on ear infections. Check out Ear Infections in Children for some useful information.

No comments:

Post a Comment