In the hospital's ENT department clinic, parents of children often come hurried over, "Doctor, the child has an ear pain, what's going on?"
Today, let's introduce acute otitis media in children.
otitis media is a mucosal disease of the middle ear. Acute otitis media in children is one of the more common complications of upper respiratory tract infection . acute otitis media caused by upper respiratory tract infection main clinical symptoms are pain, fever and conduction hearing loss.
Hearing loss will directly lead to acquired language development delay in children.
Why is acute otitis media more common in infants and young children?
Children's body resistance is low, and the development of the Eustachian tube has not yet been perfect. If an infection occurs in one place, it is easy to cause infection, swelling or blockage of other organs, which can also lead to acute otitis media. Some improper lifestyles, such as improper feeding position, mothers feed the baby in a lying position, which can easily cause the baby to choke and enter the middle ear; when catching a cold, excessive force of blowing his nose can also easily lead to the nasal secretions being squeezed into the Eustachian tube or the middle ear cavity; improper earwax digging, damage to the mucosa of the external auditory canal or the tympanic membrane, which can easily lead to otitis media.
What are the typical symptoms of acute otitis media?
When you have acute otitis media, it often manifests as paroxysmal ear pain, causing the baby to be irritable and cry loudly, refuse to eat, and be unwilling to fall asleep. Younger babies do not express themselves and usually keep scratching their ears with their hands or shaking their heads left and right. An inexplicable fever occurred.
When the tympanic membrane perforates , yellow or white secretions will flow out in the inner ear. Repeated attacks of otitis media will increase the perforation of the tympanic membrane, further decrease hearing, and cause symptoms such as slow reaction. If not treated in time, it will cause more difficult-to-treat mixed deafness in the baby.
When acute otitis media is severe, the pus can spread intracranially, leading to serious complications such as suppurative meningitis , and even life-threatening. Therefore, parents should pay attention to the baby's ears. Once abnormal situations occur, they should seek medical treatment in time to avoid serious adverse consequences.
What are the precautions when dripping ears for children?
The child suffers from otitis media, and it is a must-do to give the child ears on time every day. Before dropping the ear, place the medicine in the palm of your hand to warm it up. First hold the child in his arms, sit on one side of his legs, then straighten the external auditory canal, drip the medicine liquid, and gently press the child's tragus with your fingers to help the medicine reach the affected area quickly. After the medicine is dropped, let the child lie on his side for 10-15 minutes, and wait until the medicine completely penetrates into the tissue before letting the child get up and move.
How to keep children away from acute otitis media?
Pay attention to keeping the child warm and actively preventing colds; when the child has a cold and runny nose, parents should not blow their nose hard to prevent nasal secretions from entering the Eustachian tube; do not dig the child's ears at will; after the child swims or bathes, parents should use cotton swabs to suck out the sewage from the ear canal in time; let the child lie on his side to promote the discharge of mucus in the middle ear; when feeding the baby, it is best to let the baby sit up or tilt his or her breasts to avoid hugging him or reducing the risk of acute otitis media.
What are the methods of traditional Chinese medicine to prevent acute otitis media in children?
acupoint massage, three acupoints in front of the ear. Method for selecting acupoints: When opening the mouth, a bone protrusion will bulge in front of the ear. Behind the protrusion, a longitudinal depression will appear in front of the ear. Among them, three acupoints for treating otitis media arranged from top to bottom: Ermen, Listening Palace , Listening Experience.
Massage method: When the child is lying on his back, the mother does not have to stick to the specific positions of these three acupoints. She just needs to stand up on her index finger and rub the longitudinal depression back and forth. For 3-5 minutes, you can massage both ears at the same time, or alternate between the ears, and operate 2-3 times a day.
Have you gained some knowledge after reading these? I hope you can subtly establish scientific and healthy behavior patterns in your reading.
Author丨Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region People's Hospital Li Ling
Editing丨Zhang Wanbo
Proofreading丨Zheng Ke
Second review丨Zhang Yue
Final review丨Liu Huiying Zhang Ruxian
Final review丨Liu Huiying
