Brief overview
- Symptoms: A middle ear infection causes ear pain. Children and babies show this by restless behavior.
- Treatment: Treatment for otitis media in young children includes painkilling medications, antibiotics, and nasal drops.
- Causes and risk factors: It is common for middle ear infection in babies and children to develop as a result of respiratory illness.
- Course and prognosis: In most cases, otitis media resolves without consequences after a few days. However, some children experience complications or recurrent middle ear infections.
- Diagnosis: To diagnose otitis media, the doctor examines the child’s ears and examines the eardrum.
- Prevention: Breastfeeding, a smoke-free environment, and decongestant nose drops help prevent middle ear infections in babies and children. Experts also recommend getting children vaccinated against pneumococcus.
What is otitis media in a child or baby?
Middle ear infection (otitis media) in young children and babies is common. It primarily affects children between the ages of six months and six years. Experts estimate that about 75 to 95 percent of all children get otitis media in the first three years of life, and about one-third of them get it more than once.
In addition, amniotic fluid sometimes gets into the baby’s eustachian tube during birth. This also favors a middle ear infection.
What are the symptoms?
A middle ear infection is very painful and unpleasant. This is not only the case for adults, but also for the youngest children. However, they are not yet able to express this very well. Therefore, toddlers and babies are more likely to show signs of discomfort when they have a middle ear infection. This means that when middle ear infections occur, toddlers and babies will be about
- Grab their ears more often,
- restless and
- easily irritable.
They often cry more than usual, especially if you touch their ear or the mastoid process behind the ear.
In addition, otitis media in young children is often accompanied by other non-specific signs of illness, for example:
- Fever and chills
- @ Refusal of food and loss of appetite
- @ Weakness
- vomiting
- Diarrhea
Sometimes the eardrum ruptures during otitis media. Purulent, bloody secretions then run out of the ear. The pain then usually subsides abruptly.
Children of an older age and adolescents show somewhat different symptoms of a middle ear infection. From about four years of age, children usually state that they hear worse on one side. In addition, they are less likely to have a fever than younger patients.
What to do in case of middle ear infection in child and baby?
For this reason, in the case of a middle ear infection, the doctor first prescribes antipyretics and painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, as well as decongestant nasal drops. A follow-up appointment is then scheduled for a few days later. If the symptoms have not improved by then, the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic. This should be taken exactly as instructed by the doctor and should not be stopped prematurely on your own initiative.
If the middle ear infection persists, the ear, nose and throat specialist often inserts tympanostomy tubes into the eardrum. They ensure adequate ventilation of the middle ear and allow secretions to drain. If enlarged pharyngeal tonsils trigger a middle ear infection in children or babies, surgical removal of the pharyngeal tonsils, known as an adenotomy, may provide relief.
What promotes middle ear infection in toddlers and babies?
A middle ear infection in babies or toddlers often occurs as a result of a cold, just as it does in adults. Due to the anatomical peculiarity, namely that their eustachian tube is narrower and shorter than in adults, the risk of bacteria ascending into the middle ear is increased in the youngest children.
- Enlarged pharyngeal tonsils (colloquially known as adenoids).
- Kindergarten care or living with multiple siblings
- Smoking in the home environment
- No breastfeeding during the first months of life
This is how a middle ear infection in an infant progresses
Usually, otitis media in children and babies heals within a few days without any consequences. However, sometimes dangerous complications occur, such as:
- Mastoiditis (inflammation of the mastoid process).
- meningitis (inflammation of the meninges)
- @ facial nerve paralysis (facial paresis)
Therefore, it is advisable to schedule a follow-up appointment with your pediatrician.
In some children, otitis media occurs repeatedly, especially if certain risk factors are present, such as enlarged adenoids. These recurring middle ear infections should be clarified by an ear, nose and throat specialist. If the middle ear infections cause hearing loss, this may have an impact on speech development. Affected infants may have a delay in learning to speak.
Middle ear infection in children and babies: How is it diagnosed?
If middle ear infections have occurred several times in a child or baby, or if the doctor suspects complications, a computed tomography (CT) scan will give an indication of how much the infection has spread through the body.
Here’s how to prevent middle ear infections in infants
Breast milk appears to provide some protection against infection from otitis media. With it, important antibodies against various pathogens are transferred from mother to child. It is therefore advised to breastfeed babies in the first months of life, if possible.
The baby’s environment should be smoke-free.
In the event of a cold, decongestant nasal drops help to better ventilate the ear and thus prevent middle ear infections. Babies and children should not be given these for longer than a week, however, as they damage the nasal mucosa in the long term.
Experts also recommend vaccinating children against pneumococcus. The spread of pneumococcal vaccination has reduced the rate of middle ear infections in children.
