The child otitis is one of the problems facing the majority of children, especially infants aged 6 to 18 months have not been able yet to develop their immune system. Small must endure an annoying pain in the ear that can cause other side symptoms. As mothers must learn to identify it and act immediately to avoid that the problem go to more and have serious consequences for our son. We tell you everything you need to know about child otitis.
What is childhood ear infections?
Child otitis is an inflammation of the ear caused by bacterial infection. It can affect both the external part of the ear and the middle, most common in winter and cold weather.
Common symptoms
Although it depends on the age, the most common symptoms are severe pain in the ear, fever, irritability and malaise. Usually it is accompanied by loss of appetite, sleeping difficulty and vomiting. In severe cases it can also be seen the appearance of pus in the ears.
Causes
Otitis is usually caused by a bacterium that is introduced by the ear, the nose or the throat, since these three are interconnected. The mucus is a cause that promotes their appearance, and that prevent these ducts can be cleaned completely and accumulate small germs that lead to an infection. That is why it is common for otitis appear along with cold.
Usually, child otitis is identical to the one experienced in a more adult stage, but with the difference that in infants its frequency increases considerably. This is due to the anatomical features of the ear, as it is much shorter and bacteria have a more comfortable interior access. In addition, the genetics also a determining factor, and the fact is that the frequency of infection is often hereditary.
Treatment
The most common treatment is antibiotics for children under two years, being the amoxicillin with clavulanic acid as prescribed. Treatment usually lasts about ten days, but this time depends entirely on the doctor’s orders and prescribed antibiotics.
In the best of cases it may only need of anti-inflammatory drops to disappear. It is usual that this treatment is accompanied by analgesics to relieve pain and treat fever, such as ibuprofen or paracetamol. This will ensure that in 48 hours the small feel much better.
You can also reduce a little discomfort with some natural remedies for otitis, as can be apply heat by heating a towel in the microwave or applying a little olive oil in it.
Precautions
Although it is best to have a solid prevention, if you suspect your child may have an ear infection must take a number of precautions so that it does not go to any more. The first is to avoid bathing in pools, because chlorine will worsen the infection and increase discomfort. Furthermore, it is also discouraged to do any type of intervention in their ears, especially those that require lobbying or introduce swabs to clean it.
You should not ignore the symptoms, because of not treated in time can get to form an accumulation of pus that puncture the eardrum and exit to the outside. The child feels a slight improvement as the fever and pain, but the infection will have not disappeared. You should immediately take him to the doctor to treat it, as only in this way you can heal this new wound.
Finally, you should not stop treatment even if the pain and fever have ceased, since both could return more intensely and lead to a chronic case. To treat it correctly, the frequency of appearance of the otitis will decrease as your child grows and forget this type of infections for a long time.