{"id":273,"date":"2020-11-10T12:28:58","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T17:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ent-docs.fm1.dev\/pediatric-ent-overview\/pediatric-ear-infection\/"},"modified":"2021-03-03T17:14:20","modified_gmt":"2021-03-03T22:14:20","slug":"pediatric-ear-infection","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/ent\/pediatric-ear-infection\/","title":{"rendered":"Pediatric Ear Infection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Causes Ear Infections?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>By the far the most common type of ear infection in children are infections of the middle ear, otherwise known as otitis media.&nbsp;These&nbsp;infections occur when fluid fills the space between the eardrum and the inner ear. This&nbsp;can happen&nbsp;when the Eustachian tube becomes blocked&nbsp;due&nbsp;to a virus or bacterium, preventing mucus and pus from draining out of the middle ear&nbsp;or&nbsp;when the Eustachian tube is unable to close fully between swallows.&nbsp;In this case bacteria are able to enter the middle ear through the Eustachian tube. In either case&nbsp;infection&nbsp;puts&nbsp;pressure on the eardrum causing pain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Do Children Get Ear Infections So Often?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Children are especially susceptible to ear infections thanks in large part to anatomy. The Eustachian tubes, which are still developing until about the age of two,&nbsp;are shorter and less steeply angled than those of adults. This&nbsp;makes them&nbsp;less equipped to protect the middle ear from infection.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are the Symptoms of a Pediatric Ear Infection?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first sign of an ear infection may be an increase in irritability. Some children cry inconsolably. You may notice your child pulling or tugging on the ear.&nbsp;The pain may be&nbsp;worse when lying down.&nbsp;Other symptoms&nbsp;of ear infection include:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Fluid discharge from the affected ear\u00a0<\/li><li>A feeling of fullness in the ear\u00a0<\/li><li>Difficulty hearing\u00a0<\/li><li>Trouble sleeping\u00a0<\/li><li>Headache\u00a0<\/li><li>Fever\u00a0<\/li><li>Dizziness\u00a0<\/li><li>Vomiting\u00a0<\/li><li>Diarrhea\u00a0<\/li><li>Lack of appetite\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"553\" src=\"https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/iStock-176570493-2-e1605137890212-1280x553.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-710\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/iStock-176570493-2-e1605137890212-1280x553.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/iStock-176570493-2-e1605137890212-768x332.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/iStock-176570493-2-e1605137890212-1536x664.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/iStock-176570493-2-e1605137890212.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Is a Child\u2019s Ear Infection Diagnosed?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your doctor will examine your child\u2019s ear&nbsp;with an otoscope. If the ear&nbsp;drums&nbsp;appear dull or red&nbsp;or the middle ear contains fluid or pus, then an ear infection is likely to blame. A hearing test may be recommended, especially if your child has had ear infections in the past.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Are Ear Infections Treated?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Acute otitis media is typically treated with&nbsp;antibiotics.&nbsp;If the infections are to frequent or there is concern that they may be affecting the hearing then tympanostomy tubes may be necessary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Causes Ear Infections?&nbsp; By the far the most common type of ear infection in children are infections of the middle ear, otherwise known as otitis media.&nbsp;These&nbsp;infections occur when fluid fills the space between the eardrum and the inner ear. This&nbsp;can happen&nbsp;when the Eustachian tube becomes blocked&nbsp;due&nbsp;to a virus or bacterium, preventing mucus and pus&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1226,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","footnotes":""},"service_tags":[],"class_list":["post-273","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/273\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"service_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ent-docs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/service_tags?post=273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}