Acute otitis media is an infection of the middle ear (Otitis = ear, Media = Center), primarily affects infants and children. Eustachian tube is shorter in children than in adults, the entry of bacteria and viruses in the middle. About 50 percent of children had experienced otitis media before their first birthday. Ear infections are often develops after viral infections like colds or flu. Area behind the eardrum will swell and accumulate fluid (effusion).
Symptoms:
The symptoms of otitis media in children, consisting of fever, irritability, loss of appetite, insomnia, trailing the ears and often rub or pull on the ear. Vomiting, nausea and diarrhea may also occur. Children, older adults and pain in the ears and temporary hearing loss to be deplored. These symptoms usually occur suddenly.
Diagnosis:
Call your doctor if your child is experiencing the above symptoms. The doctor will do a physical exam and look at your child’s eardrum. He generally uses a tool called otoscope into the ear of the child to search. Although the research is not painful, most babies and children do not like or fear in his ears checked. You may have to lap and hug her child when he is meticulous in the research. The existence of a viscous fluid behind the eardrum marks the bacterial infection.
In some cases, the doctor can take a needle to be examined by the eardrum to a sample of pus from the middle ear in the laboratory. Procedure called timpanocentesis can help doctors, the cause of the infection. Hole in the eardrum usually closes within 24-48 hours.
Treatment
In infants older than 24 months, your doctor may decide to maintain and revise the child’s immune system against the infection. He can only deal with medications to reduce fever and pain in the ear.
If after more than 48 hours after your child’s symptoms continue or get worse, antibiotics may be prescribed. Antibiotics are usually to infants under the age given as 24 months. Children older than 24 months can be treated with antibiotics or delayed treatment. Antibiotics are not given for each child with an ear infection, because research shows that many older children who can treat an ear infection without antibiotics. Giving antibiotics judiciously as unnecessary can be done lead to resistant bacteria. That is, certain antibiotics are no longer effective or higher doses are required in the next treatment. In addition, ear infections are caused by a virus that can not be treated with antibiotics. This infection is cured by the immune system itself.
If your child is recurrent ear infections (so-called serous otitis media or chronic) that do not heal and make it fought so accumulate that interferes with hearing and speaking, your doctor may prescribe inserted an operation called myringotomy for fluid from the middle ear and ventilation tube . Since most children have an infection in both ears, surgery is often performed on both. The surgery is usually performed under general anesthesia by an audiologist, a small tube called Timpanostomi tube (T tube) inserted into the eardrum to drain and equalize pressure in the middle. This helps to prevent infections occur and accumulation of fluid in the future, and to the normalization of hearing. The pipes are usually in for about 6 months. The method of laser myringotomy, led the opening of the eardrum with a laser instead of tubes.
Complication
Eardrum burst. One possible complication is an infection of the ear or eardrum ruptured eardrum. Eardrum may rupture, when pressed cause flow and tissue attenuation decreases.Rupture was not sick, and many people feel even better because the pressure is released.Fortunately, the eardrum usually quickly after a break in a few hours or days.
Fluid accumulation. Fluid that collects behind the eardrum (effusion) can persist for weeks or months after the pain and the infection is gone. Bruising to temporary hearing loss, but usually disappear without treatment. This effusion should be checked from time to time, to disappear, including the examination of the ear and hearing by the doctor every three to six months up. If the effusion remains for a long time, your child may need treatment. Treatment decide how much effusion affects on hearing and speech disorders.
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