Symptoms and signs of otitis media in infants

Symptoms

If a baby has an earache, he naturally cannot tell his mother about it, but he gives signals in every possible way: he rubs his ear with his fist, turns his head and behaves very restlessly. In addition, symptoms of otitis media are:

• Fever;
• A sharp decrease in appetite;
• Poor sleep;
• Severe nasal congestion;
• Nausea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting;
• Purulent discharge from the ear.

Before 3 months, it is almost impossible to determine the presence of the disease without additional research. At this age, the child communicates discomfort by crying, which is often interpreted by parents as hunger or moodiness. As complications develop, frequent bouts of runny nose and mucus discharge from the nasal cavity may occur, including during sleep. Children may wheeze or snore at night due to congestion. In acute otitis media, an increase in body temperature is observed.

In the case of a 5-month-old baby, it becomes easier to understand where it hurts

Children may pay increased attention to the injured area. This manifests itself in obsessive head movements, unnatural posture, and an attempt to comb the ear.

The child may not cry if he is accustomed to discomfort, but he may refuse to eat. This is due to increased pain during swallowing movements.

At 7 months, children may consciously try to clean out the ear cavity. With otitis media, patients experience congestion. The child mistakenly believes that there is water in the ear, so he intuitively uses toys and other available means to relieve discomfort.

Sometimes children under one year old can independently talk about unpleasant sensations. With early development, the child is able to determine the location of pain and inform parents about poor health. If this is not possible, children may cry angrily until they lose strength. The pain may cause the child to wake up abruptly during the night.

You can find out that a child is suffering from otitis media when vomiting occurs simultaneously. Attacks are associated with the inability to free the nasal cavity from mucous secretions, increased vascular permeability and irritation of the area near the pharynx. Hearing impairment can be determined by the reaction to sharp sounds.

The difficulty in diagnosing any illness at an early age lies in the impossibility of interviewing a young patient. The doctor makes a conclusion based on the mother’s stories about the baby’s condition and the examination. Among the striking signs of otitis in a child from six months to a year are:

• seemingly causeless crying, hysterics;
• manifestations of nervousness;
• hyperthermia up to 38–40°C;
• runny nose;
• copious mucus from the nose and eyes;
• lack of appetite;
• reluctance to lie down in a horizontal position;
• nervous movements of the head during feedings, lying in the crib;
• sleep disorders;
• rapid breathing;
• vomit;
• discharge from one or two ears (with bilateral otitis media).

Causes

There are many causes of otitis in infants, and most are related to the structure of the ear canal. The fact is that the ear and nasopharynx are connected by the Eustachian tube, which in children is much shorter and wider than in adults. In addition, it is located more horizontally, so infection from the nasopharynx easily penetrates into the ear cavity.

The causes of otitis media include:

• Getting breast milk or formula into the ear. An infant eats while lying down, which allows fluid to easily enter the Eustachian tube. Baby food is an excellent environment for the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms, which is why the inflammatory process begins.
• Viral infection - colds cause inflammation in the ear canal as a complication. This is due to the introduction of the pathogen from the nasopharynx into the tube.
• Pressure changes - when flying on an airplane or climbing to altitude, excessive pressure occurs on the eardrum.
• Adenoid vegetations - when the pharyngeal tonsil grows, the middle ear passage is blocked, and the infection spreads into the cavity, causing inflammation.
• Improper ear hygiene in a child - most parents do not take seriously the information that you cannot clean a baby’s ears with cotton swabs. It is necessary to remove wax that ends up on its own at the exit of the ear. When using a cotton swab, the sulfur plug, on the contrary, is pushed and compacted against the membrane, provoking otitis media.
• Diseases of an allergic nature, accompanied by swelling of the mucous membrane of the nasal passages.

Classification

The following forms of the disease are distinguished by localization:

• inflammation of the outer ear (otitis externa);
• inflammation of the middle ear (middle ear);
• inflammation of the inner ear (labyrinthitis).

According to the distribution, otitis externa is:

• limited - occurs in the form of furunculosis;
• diffuse - occurs mainly during a chronic process, affecting the skin, subcutaneous layer, and sometimes the eardrum.

According to the duration of the process, otitis media is divided into:

By the nature of the exudate:

By pathogen type:

How to identify acute otitis media and externa in an infant

The causes of otitis media in infants have their own distinctive characteristics, which explain the fact that children are more susceptible to this disease compared to the adult population.

First of all, these features include more frequent formation of mucus in the nasal cavity than in adults. This is explained by the fact that in addition to all sorts of colds, babies cry very actively, and they do it every day and very strongly.

Another feature is that babies are prone to frequent regurgitation, as a result of which the remaining milk easily enters the Eustachian tube, causing otitis media in the infant.

The third feature is the anatomy of the auditory tube itself: in children under the age of 1 year, they are narrow and short, which facilitates the accumulation of fluid in them.

And finally, the trouble is that babies do not know how to blow their nose at all, much less are they trained to do it “well.” The situation worsens even more if the baby is looked after by an overly assertive and active adult (be it a mother, grandmother or nanny) with a scarf in his hands. Acute otitis in an infant develops when there is an accumulation of snot in the middle ear, which gets there if a caring parent forces the baby to blow with all his might, supposedly in order to blow his nose, without realizing that the contents of the nose “fly away” not out, but rush through the Eustachian tubes into the middle ear cavity. Unfortunately, such improper nose blowing is often instilled in children by their mothers and fathers.

Otitis externa in infants can also occur due to certain reasons that are not typical for older children. There is an opinion that babies “put everything in their mouths,” but we can say with confidence that they also very actively put everything they come across into their ears. Naturally, this can cause injury to the organ.

Basic methods and features of treating the disease in infants

It is important to recognize the symptoms of otitis in an infant in time. In this case, it will be possible to eliminate the disease within a short time

Only a doctor can determine how to treat otitis media. Self-medication will not only not give the desired result, but can only worsen the course of the disease. In this case, the risk of developing complications and the transition of the disease to the chronic stage increases.

You can treat otitis media in a baby at home. To do this, it is not at all necessary to go to the hospital. However, it is necessary to consult a doctor. He will be able to carefully analyze the situation and select effective methods to eliminate the symptoms and the inflammation itself. You should only contact an experienced ENT specialist.

We have already found out how to recognize otitis media in an infant. All that remains is to install techniques that will allow you to quickly and effectively get rid of the disease:

We recommend reading: Colds in a newborn and its treatment

• Otitis externa can be quickly treated with a dry and warm compress. To do this, using a special technique, you need to make small tampons that are placed in the ear canal. To improve the effect, you need to wear a warm cap over them. This method of treatment should be abandoned if the disease is accompanied by the release of a large amount of pus. In this case, regularly applying compresses can only aggravate the nature of the symptoms.
• It is necessary to resort to the wet compress method if the child experiences an increase in body temperature above 37.5 degrees. To prepare it, a cotton swab is soaked in alcohol and applied directly to the ear area itself. However, direct placement in the ear canal should be avoided.
• A blue lamp will allow you to quickly eliminate catarrhal otitis media. The device is used to reduce pain. To improve the effect, it must be used before each feeding. In this case, the baby is guaranteed to have an appetite and will be able to eat well.
• In ancient times, a complex of medicinal herbs was used to eliminate otitis media. They are still preferred today because they cannot harm the baby’s body. For example, not all medications and drops are approved for treating a one-month-old baby. You can get rid of otitis media by using geranium or aloe juice.

Only a doctor can choose the right ear drops.
If in addition the patient experiences an increase in body temperature, then it is impossible to do without medication. Otherwise, the risk of developing malnutrition and refusal to eat increases. In severe cases of the disease, it is impossible to do without antibiotics or drugs against the virus. Only a doctor can determine otitis in a baby and choose the right course of treatment. Independent selection of the drug is strictly prohibited. Otipax receives a large number of positive reviews. These drops have an adapted composition, so they can be used to treat an infant.

Treatment of otitis media in infants

Once it has been possible to determine otitis in an infant, it is necessary to immediately begin treatment. Otitis media should be treated by a doctor. Inadequate and untimely initiation of treatment therapy can cause hearing loss and other dangerous complications.

Therefore, there is no need to experiment on your own child and blindly trust traditional therapy or the advice of a pharmacist at the nearest pharmacy.

The course of treatment usually boils down to the following points:

1. Prescription of antibiotics for a period of 5-7 days: Amoxiclav, Ceftriaxone, Cefuroxime. The dosage of the drug is selected individually, taking into account the child’s weight. Most often, antibiotics are prescribed intramuscularly, but if necessary, the doctor can inject the drug directly into the ear or into a vein (depending on the complications of otitis media).
2. Prescription of ear drops : Otipax, Otinum. The drug is used under the supervision of a physician. 4 drops are instilled into each ear canal 3 times a day. Before the instillation procedure, the drug should be slightly warmed up by dipping the medicine in warm water or holding it in the palms of the hands for several minutes. The duration of treatment is regulated by the doctor, but it should not last more than 10 days.
3. Prescription of vasoconstrictor drops : Nazivin for Children. The drug is used before feeding the child and before bedtime. Instill 1-2 drops up to 3 times a day for no more than 7 days. The drug is necessary to narrow blood vessels and maintain patency of the Eustachian tube. In addition, it relieves discomfort in a child associated with a runny nose.
4. Prescription of antipyretics : Children's Panadol, Nurofen, Calpol. It is prohibited to use drugs based on Aspirin and Analgin in pediatrics.
5. Prescription of antihistamines : Suprastin, Zodak. These drugs will help eliminate general intoxication of the body.

In most cases, otitis media is treated at home, after consulting a specialist. In case of complications, treatment is carried out in a hospital.

With a purulent form of otitis, a minor surgical intervention may be necessary - paracentesis. With this procedure, the doctor will remove accumulated pus from the eardrum area.

It is not recommended to supplement the treatment prescribed by an ENT doctor with such traditional methods as alcohol compresses, warming up the ear, homemade ear drops and much more.

For example, an alcohol compress on the ear area can actually relieve pain and normalize well-being in some children, while in others it can lead to the transformation of catarrhal otitis into purulent one, followed by rupture of the eardrum.

Signs of ear pain in an infant

A newborn child cannot tell his parents and doctor what exactly is bothering him. Therefore, an inexperienced mother often has a question about how to check whether a child’s ears hurt before one year.

Signs of ear pain in infants:

• poor appetite;
• restlessness, crying during feeding;
• yellow fluid may be discharged from the ear;
• hyperthermia;
• poor, interrupted sleep;
• The baby constantly scratches, rubs his ear, and tries to lie on it.

There is a surefire way to check if a child’s ears hurt if they cannot report their problem themselves. You need to lightly press the cartilage near the beginning of the ear canal with your finger. If the child's crying intensifies and he tries to move his hand away, then the problem is really in the ears.

Possible complications

Perforation (rupture) of the eardrum is a common complication of acute otitis media in children. This can lead to leakage of fluid from the ear, and fluid or pus begins to flow out of the middle ear cavity, which alleviates the child’s condition: ear pain decreases due to decreased pressure on the eardrum. The rupture of the eardrum itself does not lead to deafness; during the treatment of otitis media, the integrity of the eardrum is quickly restored. Treatment is the same as for acute otitis media. The child should not go into the water or go to the pool until the eardrum has healed.

Adhesive otitis media sometimes develops after an acute ear infection. This means there is fluid in the middle ear (otitis media with effusion), which can cause temporary hearing loss. Most children with this complication recover within 3 months without the need for special treatment. Chronic cases of the disease may require treatment with a tympanostomy - inserting a small drainage tube into the eardrum to drain fluid and allow air to enter the middle ear to restore hearing.

Chronic suppurative otitis media is an infection of the middle ear with perforation of the eardrum and drainage of fluid from the ear that lasts at least 6 weeks. In this case, the ear canal must be sanitized several times a day, and an antibiotic (for example, the drug Otipax) should be dripped into the ear. It may also be necessary to take antibiotics by mouth.

Acute mastoiditis is an infectious inflammation of the bone behind the ear (mastoid process of the temporal bone), which is treated with antibiotic therapy.

A timely visit to a pediatric ENT doctor will allow you to quickly determine the presence of otitis media in a child and begin treatment. Otoscopy and ENT endoscopy are excellent methods for accurately diagnosing this disease.

Features of treatment for infants depending on the cause of ear pain

Ear diseases are treated comprehensively: drops, ointments, compresses, heating and, if necessary, antibiotics. Severe cases sometimes require surgery - cutting the eardrum under general anesthesia. Severe inflammation with a body temperature above 39 degrees and pus is treated in a hospital; in other cases, procedures are prescribed at home or in a clinic. Features of treatment for the youngest patients:

• Otitis is treated with antibiotics, because in children the infection spreads rapidly (for more details, see the article: ear drops with antibiotics for the treatment of otitis in children). If it is not purulent, warm compresses are used to relieve pain. It is better not to use alcohol to impregnate gauze, since it penetrates the skin, and the baby only needs the smallest doses of alcohol to become poisoned. Pus is removed with turundas - cotton wool rolled into a thin tube. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ibuprofen, Paracetamol) help reduce the amount of discharge.
• In case of sulfur plug, before removing it, the sulfur is softened with special drops. For children under one year of age, medications are not dripped directly into the ear; they are used to soak a gauze swab that is inserted into the ear shell.

General recommendations for ear diseases in young children, taking into account the specific structure of the ear and the patient’s age:

• If the body temperature is elevated or pus is discharged, the ear should not be warmed up.
• If your baby has a runny nose, clearing mucus from the nose will relieve ear pain. Since the baby does not yet know how to blow his nose, a special rubber bulb is used for this. Vasoconstrictor drops help prevent the spread of infection.
• It is undesirable for water to get inside, so children are not given an immersion bath until they recover, but are washed under the tap or wiped with a damp towel.

Starting treatment at the first sign of ear pain and following your doctor’s recommendations will help avoid hearing loss and other complications. On average, complete recovery takes about 5 days, and symptoms disappear within 2-3 days after the start of therapy.

Features of otitis media in infants

About 60% of children experience otitis media before the age of 11 months. A newborn is not able to show all the symptoms that torment him. This leads to parents failing to recognize the problem in time. As a result, the disease progresses rapidly and contributes to the development of complications

Therefore, it is important to carefully monitor the baby’s condition in the first year of life and show him to the pediatrician if any negative signs appear.

The reason for the frequent manifestation of the disease in children is the anatomical features of the structure of the hearing aid. In babies, the Eustachian tube is too thin and short. It quickly becomes clogged with secretions, which provokes inflammation.

The baby cannot blow his nose. Because of this, mucus accumulates in the nasal cavity. Gradually it is drawn inward and gets caught in the hearing aid. This provokes the development of otitis media.

Symptoms of otitis media in children often appear at night. During the day, the baby actively moves and swallows. Thanks to this, the Eustachian tube cleans itself. This does not happen during sleep. As a result, secretions accumulate in it, provoking the development of the disease.

Diagnosis and treatment

A pediatric otolaryngologist knows how to recognize otitis in an infant. The disease is extremely complex and serious, so at the first signs of it, the child should be immediately shown to a specialist. Before medical help, the baby can only be given antipyretic and painkillers and nothing else! Do not heat your ear or drop anything into it!

The doctor examines the ear with an otoscope and makes a diagnosis based on examination and clinical manifestations. If there are difficulties in diagnosis, but additional measures are taken: tympanometry determines the mobility of the eardrum, audiometry examines hearing, magnetic resonance imaging is carried out if complications are suspected. In severe cases of pathology, the eardrum is punctured (tympanocentesis). Fluid is removed from the membrane for further examination.

Treatment of otitis media is carried out at home. The child is hospitalized if severe complications are suspected. The general treatment regimen is as follows:

• antibacterial drugs;
• remedies for fever and pain;
• local treatment: a dry compress is applied only in the absence of pus. A wet alcohol compress is applied at normal temperatures;
• vasoconstrictor nasal drops. For newborns, do not use nasal spray, only drops!

Very rarely, surgical treatment is required for otitis media. In difficult cases with severe pain, the eardrum is opened (myringotomy). The operation consists of an incision on the eardrum, which allows fluid to be drained out, thereby alleviating the patient’s condition. To facilitate the drainage of exudate or pus, a special tube (tympanostomy) is inserted into the middle ear. The procedure is often used for repeated otitis, as well as in the absence of effect from antibacterial therapy.

What is otitis media and how does it occur?

The human ear is divided into three sections: inner, middle and outer, with its most important part being the Eustachian tube, which is directly connected to the nasal cavity. The Eustachian tube connects the pharynx to the middle ear and serves to equalize pressure on both sides of the eardrum. In addition to providing equal pressure, this tube also protects the middle ear by opening and closing as needed to allow unwanted fluid buildup and germs to escape.

When you have a cold or allergies, mucus accumulates in the respiratory tract. Through the eustachian tube, this mucus enters the middle ear and accumulates there. The same mass that fills the nose of a child with a cold ends up behind his eardrums. This stagnant liquid puts pressure on the drum. membrane, causing pain, especially when the child is lying down. Sometimes the pus under pressure ruptures the eardrum and you may see a purulent discharge from the child's ear. This often occurs at night, and parents often confuse ear fluid with nasal discharge. After a rupture of the eardrum, the child usually feels better because... pressure and pain in the ear go away.

Otitis in infants is divided into two types: it can be catarrhal or purulent. In the first case, the child may only feel severe pain and other unpleasant symptoms, but discharge from the ear, especially if it is yellowish or greenish in color, is an alarming symptom of purulent otitis media. It very often leads to perforation (rupture) of the eardrum, so in such cases the baby should be urgently shown to a doctor.

The disease is usually divided into three types: external, middle and internal otitis, in accordance with the part of the ear where the inflammatory process is concentrated. In most cases, ear discharge, ear pain, and hearing loss are caused by otitis media.

The mechanism of ear pain described above allows us to conclude that:

Otitis media is very rarely an independent disease, but is usually a complication of acute respiratory viral infections and inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx.

Treatment

To relieve symptoms (pain, temperature, inflammation), vasoconstrictor drops, antiseptics, antibiotics, painkillers and antipyretics are used. All these drugs are used in combination or individually, as prescribed by an ENT doctor.

Drug therapy

There are catarrhal and purulent forms of otitis. The purulent form is characterized by discharge from the ear, and in no case should you close the child’s ear with tampons or compresses, nor should you carry out warming procedures yourself. With catarrhal pus does not flow from the ear and is most often accompanied by nasal congestion, which indicates inflammation of the mucous membrane.

Forms of otitis

Vasoconstrictor drops

Drugs in this group are instilled into the nose of infants to relieve swelling of the nasal mucosa to prevent deterioration of the inner and middle ear. The following medications are intended for infants:

• Nazol Baby;
• Otrivin Baby;
• Nazivin for infants 0.01%;
• Nazivin sensitive.

Ear drops

Drops can be placed in a baby's ear only after an examination by an ENT doctor, who will determine the extent of the damage and outline the range of possible procedures for treatment.

Drops are used to treat young children:

• Otripax. Approved for use at any age for the treatment of inflammation of the middle ear, barotraumatic otitis media;
• Otinum. Approved for the treatment of children under medical supervision for the treatment of inflammation of the outer and middle ear;
• Otofa. Used in the treatment of otitis externa and internal otitis in acute or chronic course of the disease.

Otofa antibiotic for otitis media for infants

Antibiotics

If the disease cannot be treated with drops or develops too quickly, the doctor may prescribe an antibiotic to localize the inflammatory process.

Most often, for severe otitis media, the following is prescribed:

• Amoxicillin. It has a pronounced bactericidal and antibacterial effect, the occurrence of allergic reactions is possible;
• Augmentin. Approved for the treatment of children from 3 months of age. Available in powder, allergic reactions are possible;
• Zinatsef. 2nd generation cephalosporin, available in the form of injections, has a wide spectrum of effects;
• Zinnat. Approved for the treatment of children from 3 months, available in granules for the preparation of a suspension;

Antipyretic drugs

The occurrence of otitis is often accompanied by an increase in temperature, but it is not always necessary to bring it down - the body is fighting the infection, and there is no need to interfere with it to a certain extent. There are several rules that should be followed when taking antipyretic medications:

• Drugs in this group should not be used without consulting a doctor;
• Use medications if the temperature exceeds 38°;
• When taking antibiotics, the use of antipyretics should be agreed with a doctor;
• Do not use Aspirin and Analgin for treating small children, but only medications intended for children's treatment: Paracetamol, Panadol, Efferalgan, Tsefekon D, Nurofen suppositories, Viburkol.

Traditional medicine

Most traditional medicine recipes, one way or another, involve warming up: warming compresses, a blue lamp or alcohol drops. However, all these procedures can be carried out if you are completely sure that the otitis media is not purulent. And only a pediatric ENT doctor can judge this after a full examination.

Here are a few folk recipes that can be used in any case:

• A clean geranium leaf rolled into a tube is inserted into the child's ear. Geranium helps relieve pain and reduce inflammation;
• A gauze swab soaked in fresh aloe juice is inserted into the ear (before this, the plant leaf should lie in the refrigerator for a day);
• Onion tampons (pieces of onion wrapped in several layers of gauze) are inserted into the ears, only shallowly. The remedy is especially effective for accompanying colds and runny nose.

Folk remedies have been time-tested and often have an even greater effect than medications. However, they should be used in combination with other medications and on the recommendation of a doctor.

Treatment according to Komarovsky

Evgeniy Komarovsky warns mothers and fathers that otitis media for a child cannot be treated using folk remedies and alternative medicine, because the complications of the disease can be very severe - from the transition of an acute form to a chronic one, and then the child will be plagued by frequent otitis media, until the onset of deafness, facial paresis nerve, meningitis, etc. Therefore, instilling heated oil with aloe or walnut juice is a real parental crime.

With purulent otitis media, you should absolutely not warm anything up, make warming or alcohol compresses, or instill warm oil, as caring grandmothers and traditional healers may advise. Such heat will only worsen the inflammatory exudative purulent process.

For treatment of acute (suddenly occurring) otitis in a child, Evgeniy Komarovsky recommends starting treatment by instilling vasoconstrictor drops into the nose. They not only reduce the lumen of blood vessels in the nasal mucosa, but also relieve swelling in the area of ​​the auditory tube. “Nazivin”, “Nazivin Sensitive” (if the baby is an infant), “Nazol baby” are suitable for this.

The main thing to remember is that these drops are not used for more than five days, since they cause persistent drug addiction, and you need to choose children’s drops at the pharmacy, the dosage of the active substance in which is lower than in similar adult preparations.

Vasoconstrictor drops are relevant only at the very initial stage of acute otitis, when there is a chance to prevent its further development. If the chance remains unrealized or the attempt was unsuccessful, you should immediately contact an otolaryngologist, who will determine the type of disease and, upon examination, find out whether the eardrum is damaged. If it is intact, you can use ear drops; if it is damaged, which happens quite often, then nothing should be dripped into the ear.

If pus is flowing from the ear, then Komarovsky urges you to abandon self-medication and not drip anything before going to the doctor.

Suppuration most likely indicates a perforation (breakthrough) of the eardrum, through which pus enters the outer ear. If there is perforation, do not drip near the ear so that the medicine does not get on the auditory nerve, auditory ossicles and cause deafness.

If otitis media is accompanied by an increase in temperature, then it is reasonable to use antipyretic drugs and painkillers. To reduce high fever, it is advisable to give Paracetamol or Ibuprofen to children. Both of these medications provide a moderate analgesic effect. Doctors often prescribe a drug such as Erespal. It can be taken by children over two years of age in syrup form. This medicine is not given to children in tablet form.

Are antibiotics needed?

Although most parents believe that antibiotics are necessary in the treatment of otitis media, this is not always the case, says Evgeniy Komarovsky. For asymptomatic otitis media caused by fluid accumulation in the middle ear, antibiotics will have no effect on the healing process. Typically, such otitis media goes away on its own as the child recovers from the underlying viral disease - ARVI or influenza.

Otitis media, accompanied by pain and “shooting” in the ear, can be caused by both bacteria (against which antibiotics are effective) and viruses (against which antibacterial drugs are completely ineffective).

Evgeniy Komarovsky advises waiting about 2 days before starting active treatment. If there is no improvement on day 2-3, this is a signal to prescribe antibiotics to the child.

It is allowed not to wait two days if the child’s otitis media is severe, with high fever, very severe pain, and if the child is not yet 2 years old, the doctor will most likely prescribe antibiotics right away. For children under two years of age, it is very important whether they have otitis media - one-sided or two-sided.

When treating external otitis, antibiotics are rarely required; treatment with antiseptics is usually sufficient. Internal otitis requires symptomatic treatment; antibiotics for labyrinthitis are also prescribed extremely rarely.

In any case, a doctor should decide to prescribe antibiotics for inflammation of the hearing organs after conducting appropriate studies, including bacterial culture from the ear to determine the type of pathogen. If such a culture shows the presence of certain bacteria, the doctor will prescribe the antibiotic that is most effective against specific microbes.

Causes of the disease

Experts attribute acute respiratory diseases and feeding errors to the main reasons why otitis media develops. Infection against the background of weakened immunity quickly penetrates the tympanic cavity, which complicates the course of the disease. The horizontal position of the baby when feeding, incorrectly selected bottles and nipples sometimes provoke the reflux of formula or milk into the inner cavity of the ear. In addition, otitis media in babies under one year of age can be caused by the following reasons:

• allergic reactions of the body;
• enlarged adenoids;
• domestic trauma;
• hereditary predisposition;
• weak immunity;
• various disorders in the bronchi and lungs;
• strong pressure on the membrane (on an airplane).

Since infants cannot blow their nose, mucus is drawn into the nasopharynx and leads to inflammation. In addition, mucus often enters the ear during heavy crying. If pathogenic microorganisms are present on the nasal mucosa, purulent otitis media forms. Another objective cause of inflammation is regurgitation of food, which is thrown into the Eustachian tube and causes otitis media.

Prevention

You can prevent otitis in an infant using the following simple preventive measures:

1. Treat ARVI and runny nose in a timely manner. Viral infections and excess mucus are the main culprits of otitis media in infants. If colds are left untreated, inflammation in the ear occurs as a complication.
2. Take proper care of your nose and ear canals. Do not deep clean the ear cavity or use cotton swabs for hygiene. This is dangerous. Make cotton wool yourself and clean your baby's ears and nose without wounds or scratches.
3. After feedings, carry your baby upright for 5–10 minutes. The baby will absorb mother's milk and will not burp. If excess food leaves the stomach, it will not enter the ear.
4. Put your little one on a hat for a walk or after a bath. The cap will protect the baby's ears from wind and dangerous bacteria.
5. Do not bathe a sick baby. Even simple snot can be a reason to avoid bathing for a couple of days. It is enough to wash the baby under the tap or wipe it with a damp cloth.
6. If possible, avoid contact with sick children older than the baby, until about one year old. Newborn children suffer more severely from infections.
7. See an ENT specialist if your one-year-old baby has enlarged adenoids. If chronic otitis is diagnosed due to adenoid syndrome, it is better to remove the pharyngeal tonsils.
8. Follow a daily routine, walks, meals. This is the main component for the good health of the child.
9. Temper your newborn from the first month of life. Rinse in cool water after swimming, keep naked in the warm sun, do gymnastics. Hardened children get sick less often.
10. Feed breast milk until 1–1.5 years. Mother's milk is a source of immune cells for the baby.
11. Ventilate the children's room and apartment daily, maintain temperature conditions, and increase humidity. Dry and warm air, Dr. Komarovsky never tires of talking about this, is harmful for healthy children, and even more so for sick ones.
12. Do not bathe your child in open water. The skin and mucous membranes of newborns are too vulnerable to bacteria and rods. It is on city beaches that children become infected with dangerous diseases more often.

Knowing how otitis media can manifest itself at an early age, mothers can easily identify the disease in a timely manner and take action quickly. You should not treat otitis media at home without consulting a doctor. Self-diagnosis without medical confirmation of the diagnosis and therapy with traditional methods not only do not benefit children, but also cause great harm. If you notice the first symptoms of inflammation in the ear, immediately run to the clinic.

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Prevention of otitis

Prevention of ear inflammation in infants involves proper child care. To clean the ears, only ear sticks with stoppers should be used.

You cannot insert the stick into the ear canal itself; you can only clean the outer canal and the auricle itself. After feeding, the baby must be picked up vertically each time and carried in this position until burping, so that the remains of artificial formula or milk do not fall from the nasopharynx into the Eustachian tube.

Usually, otitis media appears in a baby after a runny nose. Timely treatment of nasal congestion is the best prevention of inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx and middle ear. To prevent mucus from accumulating in the child’s middle ear, it is important to give him water often: in this case, it will be able to come out and not block the auditory tube.

When bathing your baby, you need to make sure that no water gets into his ears. Swimming in open reservoirs is prohibited for children under one year of age.

At any time of the year, during a street walk, the baby should wear a hat appropriate to the weather conditions on his head. In windy weather, it is better to avoid going outside. The temperature in the room where the child is located should vary between 18-20 degrees, and the room should be regularly ventilated.

When treating a runny nose, cold or otitis media, it is important to avoid swimming and walking, as well as contact with sick children.

Preventive measures

To prevent the development of otitis media, you should try to feed your baby breast milk longer. When feeding, the baby should be in an almost vertical position. A rubber cap will help protect your ears from water when swimming. After completing the water procedures, you should carefully clean your ears, especially if moisture has gotten into the hole.

Hardening gives good results. Only the program should be developed together with the attending physician.

It is important to teach your baby to blow his nose correctly. First, the mucous contents are removed from one nostril, then from the other.

The mouth should be slightly open. The baby should not be allowed to suck mucus into the nasopharynx.

The room where the baby sleeps needs to be wet cleaned regularly. Excessively dry or humid air is unacceptable

It is important to protect the baby from exposure to allergens, cigarette smoke and animal hair. To prevent infection during periods of widespread infectious and viral diseases, it is advisable to avoid contact with sick children

After feeding, the baby needs to be held in a column. Burping in a horizontal position often causes inflammation in the middle ear.

Since otitis media in infants sometimes develops at a rapid pace, timely diagnosis of the disease and proper treatment guarantee the baby’s full recovery. Otherwise, there is a high probability of serious complications affecting the cardiovascular system, brain, paranasal sinuses and other organs.