Umm Majid woke up to the screaming of her infant, so she tried to breastfeed him, but he did not accept. Her child complains of pain that necessitates carrying him to the doctor who examined the infant, then asked the parents: Which of you smokes? The father replied: I am a smoker!
The doctor realized the matter, as the infant was exposed to passive smoking from his father, and he contracted otitis media due to cigarette smoke, incense, and perfumes. He advised the father and mother not to smoke near the child and not to expose him to fumes and pungent aromas.
“Okaz” listened to specialists in the treatment of ear, nose and throat, to learn more about the causes of infections and how to prevent them, and to start with the consultant of ear, nose, throat, head, neck and facial plastic surgery, Dr. Al-Moayad Billah Ramal, who described children’s exposure to widespread middle ear infections. Indicating that its causes are many; Most notably, the auditory canal that is associated with the middle ear – usually – in children is incompletely developed and its shape is horizontal, and it does not take its horizontal shape until he reaches two or three years, so their injury comes as a result of their exposure during their growth period and before their third age to fumes, explaining Some studies indicated that families whose children are exposed to smoke are more likely to develop middle ear infections. Otorhinolaryngology consultant, Dr. Al-Ramal, also said: One of the reasons – also – is the way the baby is breastfed. Breastfeeding, which takes place while the child is lying on his back, is exposed to liquids entering his ear, and infections occur, indicating that infections are most of the time bacterial, between mild and moderate, and these require taking an antibiotic, and the dose of the antibiotic is greater than the dose of any other oral infection.
Fluid aspiration or surgery
Regarding the treatment of the third type of middle ear infections, the consultant, Al-Raml, explains that this is done through surgical intervention due to the fluids leaving the ear due to the perforation of the eardrum as a result of the accumulation of fluids and pus with the appearance of swelling behind the ear, and for this reason the treatment of this condition requires surgical intervention and giving the child antibiotics intravenously. And about prevention, he says that it consists in not smoking near children and avoiding them from fumes, smoke fumes, and pungent perfumes. Some medical studies indicated that children who suffer from allergies and whose mouths are closed have an increased incidence of middle ear infections, so that studies indicated that children who frequently Those with infections more than seven times a day require fluid aspiration with tube placement to ventilate the middle ear through surgical intervention.
Middle ear bacteria
Dr. Firas Nayef, a senior ear, nose and throat specialist, believes that ear infections in infants and children are common, and studies show that 5 out of 6 children suffer from infections before they reach the age of three, and children who suffer from infections in the throat, a cold, or an infection in the upper respiratory tract can Bacteria can spread to the middle ear through the Eustachian tube, and with the infection response, fluid accumulates behind the eardrum, adding that children’s immune systems are less equipped to deal with infection, and the Eustachian tube is smaller and more horizontal, which increases the difficulty of draining fluid from the ear, and in some cases In some cases, fluid remains trapped in the middle ear for a long time, or comes back frequently, even when no infection is present. He points out that the signs and symptoms of otitis media are the appearance of pain in and around the ear, which the child announces in his own way by pulling or pulling the ear, crying and irritation, and difficulty sleeping. He added that most ear infections fade away without treatment, especially in simple cases. Doctors in such cases usually resort to a wait-and-see approach, along with over-the-counter pain relievers, to see if the infection will clear up on its own. Resorting to antibiotics sometimes may It causes infection-causing bacteria to become resistant, making future infections more difficult to treat.
Dr. Firas believes that treatment decisions depend on the age of the child, the degree of pain and the appearance of symptoms, adding that in children between the ages of 6 months and two years, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents and caregivers make joint decisions about whether ear infections should be treated. If not severe, the best course of action is often to monitor the child for two to three days before prescribing antibiotic treatment. If the child is in pain, or the ear infection is advanced, your child's doctor may suggest immediate treatment with antibiotics.
Senior ear, nose and throat specialist Dr. Firas points out that in children over two years of age, non-severe ear infections are likely to disappear on their own, without treatment, and in the meantime, you can treat the pain with over-the-counter medications; Such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, and in the event that there is no improvement after two to three days, here the sick child can be prescribed antibiotics, which are usually in the following cases: If the child suffers from moderate to severe pain with a high temperature (more than 39 ° C), if he has persistent severe pain, if the condition does not improve for 48 hours, if the ear canal contains new fluid – discharge from the ear, if the pain or inflammation is in both ears.
mucous secretions
The General Department of Clinical Education at the Ministry of Health indicated its keenness to ensure the provision of the best methods for human safety from birth, indicating that otitis media is one of the most common diseases among children, and it occurs most of the time due to a bacterial or viral infection that affects the middle ear, leading to It is due to the accumulation of fluid behind the eardrum, and this disease is one of the most common diseases among children, as they are affected more often than adults, and the reason is due to several factors, including: the shortening of the Eustachian tube, and thus the ease of transmission of viruses and bacteria from the nose or pharynx to the middle ear and the occurrence of inflammation, deficiency Their immunity is comparable to that of adults. The administration indicated that the cause of the first type of acute otitis media is due to a bacterial or viral infection in most cases, and it may be caused by complications of an infection that affected the upper respiratory tract or sinuses, and these symptoms usually disappear with treatment of the infection causing the disease. As for the second type, which is Accompanied by runny nose, it is usually caused by the accumulation of fluids and mucous secretions in the ear for several reasons, including: obstruction of the Eustachian tube after infection in the upper respiratory tract, runny nose, accumulation of mucous secretions inside the ear, and poor functioning of the Eustachian tube; This is usually due to cases of cleft palate, recurrent colds, or atmospheric pressure shock, while the third type is described as chronic inflammation as a result of the delay in treating cases of acute inflammation in the ear, which leads to the accumulation of fluids and secretions for a period of two weeks or more, and thus formation of waxy clusters that may reach The eardrum, and its abundance may lead to secretions from the ear.
Mohammed Al-Hattar (Jeddah) @alhattar