Ear infection problems can be prompted by water or previous infection

Added: 12/14/2005

Ear infection problems are common in children. There are two types of infection causing the problems. They are outer ear infections and acute otitis media. The former condition is usually caused by some water getting into the ear. As for the latter one it is a common disease occurring after respiratory tract infection. Traditionally, ear infection treatment includes antibiotics.

Ear infection problems are very frequent in children. Children who are younger than two years are more prone to them. Ear infection problems can be caused by two types of the infection. The first type of the disease is outer ear infection. And the second type is called middle ear infection. There are a lot of factors that may cause ear infections diagnosis. For example, children who attend day care, where there are a lot of other children are prone to the condition. Risk is represented by those members of the family, who smoke, and those, who had had ear infections before. Those babies who are fed from a bottle while laying down are also prone to ear infections problems. Moreover, those children who breastfeed are not that prone to the infections.

Outer ear infections are also called swimmers ear or otitis externa. The child gets the disease when some water gets into his ear. The water may cause inflammation and infection. Earache is a common symptom of the condition. Discharge from the ear is also possible. As a rule, doctors prescribe antibiotic ear drops for the infection.

Acute otitis media, which is also called middle ear infection, is a common condition one or two weeks after an infection of the respiratory tract of the child. The infection is characterized by inflammation and fluid that forms behind the eardrum. The fluid is usually infected by bacteria that provoke fever, irritability and pain. The doctor is able to put ear infections diagnosis after he looks into the eardrum of the child. Traditionally the eardrum is red and may swell because of the pus, which forms behind it. The drum is also immobile.

It is worthy of note that the eardrum may be red when the child has fever or just while crying. That is why the doctor should check the mobility of the eardrum while examining the child's ear. The redness of the ear when the child cries or has fever is not accompanied by the immobility of the eardrum. It is a good method to put the adequate diagnosis. In order to test the mobility of the eardrum it is also possible to use the technique of tympanogram.

As a rule, doctors prescribe ear infection treatment including the use of antibiotics. Nevertheless, it happens that the patient may recover without applying this measure. Sometimes, antibiotics are not able to cure ear infection problems because the bacteria causing the condition are resistant to antibiotics. Usually it happens to smaller children who have been treated with antibiotics recently or who have frequent contacts with other children recently treated with antibiotics (in the day care, for example). One of the bacteria that are resistant to the majority of antibiotics is called Streptococcus pneumoniae.

One of the most frequent ear infection problems is the presence of some fluid behind the eardrum after the infection is cured. The condition is called otitis media with effusion. It is a normal phenomenon. The fluid will clear up by itself. It does not require the use of antibiotics. As for younger children, the doctor will examine them during 4-6 weeks after the condition till the fluid clears up completely.

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