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How to Get Rid of Ear Infections

The surgeon selects a ventilation tube for your child that will remain in place for as long as required for the middle ear infection to improve and for the eustachian tube to return to normal. This may require several weeks or months. During this time, you must keep water out of the ears because it could start an infection. Otherwise, the tube causes no trouble, and you will probably notice a remarkable improvement in hearing and a decrease in the frequency of ear infections.

If you do have an infection in your outer ear, the treatment is with either ear-drops (containing antibiotics) and/or a course of oral antibiotics. If the pain is very uncomfortable you may be advised to take painkillers such as paracetamol or anti-inflammatory drugs. If the ear canal needs more attention, then treatment could include a thorough cleaning of the ear by your doctor or an ear specialist.

Treating an ear infection is relatively simple. Many ear infections clear on their own and require no treatment, although an over the counter pain reliever may be recommended to ease the child’s discomfort. A persistent ear infection may require antibiotics. Antibiotics are not prescribed as often as they used to be to avoid over exposure to antibiotics at an early age. Antibiotics may also be prescribed if the child has had numerous ear infections within a close period of time or if the ear infection presents with effusion. Pain relieving ear drops may be prescribed to help relieve discomfort.

Make your own antiseptic ear rub that soothes the area killing harmful bacteria. It’s a great home remedy for clogged ears. This herbal treatment of ear infection prevents bacterial transfer, saving you from developing an infection in the healthy ear.

Applying heat to the ear, which may help relieve the earache. Use a warm washcloth or a heating pad. Do not allow your child to go to bed with a heating pad, because he or she could get burned. Use a heating pad only if your child is old enough to tell you if it's getting too hot.

Using eardrops. Doctors often prescribe pain-relieving eardrops for earache. Don't use eardrops without a health professional's advice, especially if your child has ear tubes.

Ear infections occasionally cause the ear drum to perforate which is in some ways analogous to a pimple popping: The infection may go away and the pain is gone. The ear drum heals and sometimes the fluid reaccumulates but often the infection is gone. The drainage and occasional blood from the ear looks frightening and your doctor may want to have a look. Don't put drops in a draining ear without first talking to your doctor.

If your doctor has said things like 'it looks a little red' or 'I see a little fluid' then they may not have been making a 'certain' diagnosis of an ear infection. This is especially true if the diagnosis was made when your child had no other symptoms at all. With a true ear infection, in addition to having fluid in their ear, your child should instead have the more classic symptoms of 'a history of rapid onset of signs and symptoms such as otalgia (or pulling of the ear in an infant), irritability in an infant or toddler, otorrhea, and/or fever.



By: peterhutch

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Glue Ear

Glue Ear is a condition in which fluid accumulates in the middle ear behind the eardrum. It is the most common cause of partial deafness in children and it is estimated that one in four children are affected at some stage in their childhood. It is more common in boys with most being affected between the ages of two and five. However there are chances it may occur at a later stage, including in adulthood.

Glue Ear mainly occurs in both ears and may be difficult to detect, since it is not painful doesn’t cause symptoms of an ear infection. Mostly it is due to a problem with the Eustachian tube that connects the middle ears to the back of the nose and throat.

The Eustachian tube normally plays an important role in maintaining equal air pressure between the outside and inside of the middle ear. When the tube becomes obstructed the air in the middle ear becomes absorbed, and the resulting vacuum draws fluid into the middle ear cavity from lining of ht ear (the mucosa)

Initially the fluid is thin and watery but eventually it becomes thick and tenacious, hence, the name “Glue Ear”. Because the middle ear is now filled with fluid rather than air, the haring is muffled. Obstruction of the tube may be due to repeated bacterial and viral upper respiratory track infections, enlarged adenoids or nasal allergy.

It is important to note that in children the Eustachian tube is more horizontal and smaller than in adults and this is one of the reasons why Glue Ear is relatively common in children.

Children are especially prone to Glue Ear because.

 

Of frequent colds and sore throats

 

In children, the adenoids (lymph tissues at the back of the nose that help protec against infection) are more likely to be enlarged, blocking the opening of the Eustachian tubes.

 

SOME RESEARCHERS also believe children are at higher risk if exposed to cooler climes or a smoky environment. Children with genetic conditions such as Downs Syndrome may have smaller Eustachian tubes and are more susceptible to Glue Ear.

Symptoms of Glue Ear.

Glue Ear in children can sometimes go unnoticed. However, there are few warning signs, such as

 

Temporary hearing loss: This is the most common symptom.

 

A stuffy feeling in the ears. Glue Ear does not cause pain the way middle ear infections (otitis media) can. Children with Glue Ear sometimes have repeated episodes of earache or middle ear infections.

 

Changes in behaviors include tiredness and frustration, not responding when called, falling behind at school, preference to staying in isolation.

Diagnosing Glue Ear.

If your child is showing the following symptoms and you are unclear about their condition, it is advisable to check with your nearest ENT specialist.

Often doctors rely on one or several of the following tests to make the diagnosis. They’re Otoscopy, Audiometry and Tympanometry tests.

Treatment of Glue Ear.

Glue Ear does not always need treatment. Most physician prefer a conservative, or “wait and see”, approach to treat the problem.

There is some debate about how effective medical treatments are and the mainstay of treating children with Glue Ear is with ventilation tubes (grommets)

The decision to operate and insert a grommet in the eardrum is dependent on many factors such as the patient’s age, whether there are recurrent middle ear infections, pain speech, delay learning or behavioral difficulties.

It can also depend on the appearance of the eardrum. (For instance whether there is a retraction pocket, which is a localized area of scarring that may lead to problem)

Young children with poor language development, pain or recurrent ear infection should have grommets inserted as soon as possible. Older children with fewer symptoms can be treated conservatively with regular follow-up visits in the outpatient clinic to monitor their hearing and the appearance of the ear drum

The main objective of grommet insertion is to get rid of the fluid in the middle ear by allowing air to enter through the grommet, so temporarily by passing the problem. Normal hearing is restored once this objective is accomplished.

 

Grommets are available in many different shapes and sizes. On average, a grommet will stay in place between six to 12 months and will then fall out as the healing eardrum pushes it out into the ear canal. If the child redevelops Glue Ear it may be necessary to re-insert another grommet. The operation to insert a grommet s usually performed as day-case surgery under general anesthesia and it is the most common ear nose surgery.

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By: Arazoo Mush

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Professionally a Pathologist working in a Pathological Lab for the last 8 years.

Managing a website for Cat Scratch Fever



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Middle Ear Infection – Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

ion of the middle ear is an infection caused by a germ (bacterium). It is very common among children. The middle ear is an air-filled hollow between the eardrum and the inner ear. The Eustachian tube - an air channel between the middle ear and the nose - usually ensures that the middle ear is ventilated and that fluids can run out through the nose.

Middle ear infection most commonly occurs following a cold. It also frequently occurs as a result of contact with other children. Middle ear infection (called otitis media) is an infection behind the eardrum. Ear infections are very common and are usually painful. By the age of six, most children have grown out of middle ear infections and are not likely to suffer long-term problems.

Symptoms

In otitis media, inflammation occurs on that portion of the ear, which is directly behind the eardrum. This pain in the ear is usually of a piercing type and is not attended with fever. Pus is discharged into the outer ear. As the condition progresses, the inner ear becomes seriously affected, and hearing is considerably impaired.

Acute middle ear infection is most common in children. It is caused by a bacterial or viral infection of the fluid of the middle ear. When infection occurs in the middle ear, pus or excess fluid is produced. Ear infections are often associated with respiratory infections or with blocked sinuses caused by allergies or enlarged adenoids.

Causes

A cold or other infection of the upper airways causes the tubes which drain the ears in to the back of the throat to become swollen and filled with mucus or catarrh. These tubes are called eustachian tubes, and are the tubes we open, by yawning or swallowing, to stop our ears popping as we go up a hill or in a plane. This swelling may block the eustachian tubes, and stop the normal drainage of fluid from the middle ear down to the back of the throat. As water which is stagnant becomes foul, so there is more chance of germs building up in this stagnant situation in the middle ear, and a middle ear infection (acute otitis media) is the result.

Ear infections also can be associated with dysfunction or swelling within the eustachian tubes — the narrow passageways that connect the middle ear to the nose. Normally these tubes equalize pressure inside and outside the ear. But a child's eustachian tubes are narrower and shorter than those of an adult. This makes it easier for fluid to get trapped in the middle ear when the eustachian tubes dysfunction or become blocked during a cold.

Treatment

Many physicians recommend the use of an antibiotic (a drug that kills bacteria) when there is an active middle ear infection. If a patient is experiencing pain, the physician may also recommend a pain reliever. Following the physician's ear infection treatment instructions is very important. Once started, the antibiotic should be taken until it is finished. Most physicians will have the patient return for a follow-up examination to see if the infection has cleared.

Most ear infections clear on their own in just a few days — and antibiotics won't help an infection caused by a virus. In fact, about 80 percent of children with acute otitis media recover without antibiotics, according to the AAP and AAFP. If your child is uncomfortable, the doctor may recommend an over-the-counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others). If your child doesn't have drainage from the ear or ear tubes, prescription eardrops containing a local anesthetic may be an option, too. The drops won't cure the infection, but they may relieve pain.



By: peterhutch

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