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Ear
Infections and Your Child
Next
to the common cold, an ear infection is the most common
childhood illness. In fact, most children have at least one ear
infection by the time they are 3 years old. Most of the time,
ear infections clear up without causing any lasting problems.
In order to understand how ear infections occur, it’s helpful
to know how our ears work. The ear has three parts — the outer
ear, middle ear and inner ear. A small tube (eustachian tube)
connects the middle ear to the back of the nose. When a child
has a cold, nose or throat infection, or allergy, the eustachian
tube can become blocked, causing a buildup of fluid in the
middle ear. If bacteria or a virus infects this fluid, it can
cause swelling and pain in the ear. This type of ear infection
is called acute otitis media.
Often after the symptoms of acute otitis media clear up, fluid
remains in the ear. Acute otitis media then develops into
another kind of ear problem called otitis media with effusion
(middle ear fluid). This condition is harder to detect than
acute otitis media because except for the fluid and usually some
mild hearing loss, there are often no other noticeable symptoms.
This fluid may last several months and, in most cases,
disappears on its own. Hearing then returns to normal.
Your child may have many symptoms during an ear infection. Talk
with your pediatrician about the best way to treat your
child’s symptoms.
- Pain. The most common symptom of an ear
infection is pain. Older children can tell you that their
ears hurt. Younger children may only seem irritable and cry.
You may notice this more during feedings because sucking and
swallowing may cause painful pressure changes in the middle
ear.
- Loss of appetite. Your child may have
less of an appetite because of the ear pain.
- Trouble sleeping. Your child may have
trouble sleeping because of the ear pain.
- Fever. Your child may have a temperature
ranging from 100°F (normal) to 104°F.
- Ear drainage. You might notice yellow or
white fluid, possibly blood-tinged, draining from your
child’s ear. The fluid may have a foul odor and will look
different from normal earwax (which is orange-yellow or
reddish-brown). Pain and pressure often decrease after this
drainage begins, but this doesn’t always mean that the
infection is going away. If this happens it’s not an
emergency, but your child will need to see your
pediatrician.
- Trouble hearing. During and after an ear
infection, your child may have trouble hearing for several
weeks. This occurs because the fluid behind the eardrum gets
in the way of sound transmission. This is usually temporary
and clears up after the fluid from the middle ear drains
away.
Related Articles
The information contrained in this publication should not be
used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your
pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your
pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and
circumstances.
© Copyright 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics
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