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Merck Manuals Answers Common Questions About Ear Infections in Children


KENILWORTH, N.J., July 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ear infections are among the most common reasons parents bring their children to a doctor, and yet many parents remain uncertain about how to properly monitor and treat ear infections in children.

To provide parents clarity, Udayan Shah, MD, Chief of the Division of Otolaryngology at Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children, outlines the symptoms of ear infections, ways to prevent them and when to consult a doctor in a new editorial on MerckManuals.com.

Dr. Shah's editorial answers several key questions for parents.

What is a middle ear infection and what causes it?

The ear is made up of three parts: the outer, the middle and the inner ear. The middle ear is the space just behind the ear drum (tympanic membrane). Sometimes, excess fluid can pool in this space and lead to infection.

Acute middle ear infections are painful infections that last a few days. They are often caused by the same viruses that cause the common cold, but sometimes are caused by bacteria. Common symptoms include fever, irritability, trouble sleeping and eating and sometimes pus or bloody fluid leaking from the ear. Very young children who cannot talk may pull or pick at their ears, "head bang" or shake their head repeatedly.

Sometimes with an infection, the ear drum can rupture and have a hole that remains called a perforation. When fluid from the infection fails to clear, or a hole is present, doctors call this a chronic middle ear infection.

Symptoms may be more difficult for parents to spot. Children may complain of hearing loss, a sensation of pressure in their ears, and a loss of balance. Sometimes a discharge will come from the ear. There may be a delay in the development of speech and language.

When should parents take their child to a doctor?

If children have ear pain that is very severe or lasts more than a day, or if there is discharge from the ear, parents should take a trip to the doctor. If a very young child is not babbling or if a child complains of not hearing well, they should be checked for chronic middle ear infection.

Doctors will not prescribe antibiotics for all middle ear infections. If a child does have an acute infection, the doctor will likely recommend a pain reliever to help with the fever and earache and start antibiotics if the symptoms don't improve after a few days.

What can parents do to prevent ear infections?

Some things parents can do to avoid ear infections are:

  1. Breastfeed your baby
  2. Avoid pacifier use
  3. Keep up to date with vaccinations
  4. Don't expose children to tobacco smoke
  5. Limit children's exposure to large daycare settings

If a child keeps getting ear infections, doctors may recommend the placement of ear tubes (tympanostomy tubes). Ear tubes are tiny tubes placed in the ear drum (tympanic membrane). Tubes in the ear drum "ventilate" the middle ear and prevent recurrent middle ear infections. Ear tubes allow the fluid to drain from the ear when an infection does occur. In his editorial, Dr. Shah outlines details about the procedure and what parents should expect should their child need ear tubes placed.

About The Merck Manuals and MSD Manuals

First published in 1899 as a small reference book for physicians and pharmacists, The Merck Manual grew in size and scope to become one of the world's most widely used comprehensive medical resources for professionals and consumers. As The Manual evolved, it continually expanded the reach and depth of its offerings to reflect the mission of providing the best medical information to a wide cross-section of users, including medical professionals and students, veterinarians and veterinary students, and consumers. In 2015, The Manuals kicked off Global Medical Knowledge 2020, a program to make the best current medical information accessible by up to three billion professionals and patients around the world by 2020. For access to thousands of medical topics with images, videos and a constantly expanding set of resources, visit MerckManuals.com or MSDManuals.com and connect with us on social media:

For Consumers in the U.S. and its territories: Twitter and Facebook
For Professionals in the U.S. and its territories: Twitter and Facebook

About Merck

For more than a century, Merck, a leading global biopharmaceutical company known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and communities around the world - including cancer, cardio-metabolic diseases, emerging animal diseases, Alzheimer's disease and infectious diseases including HIV and Ebola. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on TwitterFacebookInstagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

 

SOURCE MerckManuals.com


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