Otitis media in children: An unpredictable dangerous disease
Otitis media is a common disease in children. If not treated thoroughly, the disease can cause dangerous complications such as meningitis, brain abscess, causing paralysis of the 7th cranial nerve.
Otitis media is common in children from 6 months to 3 years old. Children often get otitis media due to adenoiditis spreading to the Eustachian tube, causing inflammation and blockage. In children, the Eustachian tube is shorter and has a larger diameter than in adults, so bacteria and secretions in the nose and throat can easily spread to the middle ear. In particular, the respiratory mucosa system (nasopharyngeal mucosa, tympanic membrane, bronchial mucosa...) in children is very sensitive, easily reacting to stimuli by secreting fluid, causing fluid to accumulate in the tympanic membrane, causing inflammation.
The danger is that acute otitis media in young children can cause perforation of the eardrum, bone loss... affecting the child's hearing and leading to language disorders. If not treated thoroughly, the disease can cause very dangerous complications of brain infection such as meningitis, brain abscess, lateral vein thrombosis or facial nerve paralysis (cranial nerve number 7).
In the early stages, the symptoms of otitis media are not obvious, the child has no fever, no earache, rarely has tinnitus, no ear discharge. The only symptom is that the child is deaf, so mothers often ignore it and think that the child lacks concentration. When it moves to the chronic stage, there is a phenomenon of ear discharge. Therefore, right from the incubation period (the child has a fever, usually a high fever of 39-40oC, cries a lot, the child often refuses to breastfeed, has poor appetite, vomits, has diarrhea, convulsions, rubs the ear with hands...), adults need to take the child to see a doctor and get treatment. If detected early, the doctor will take the initiative to drain the ear or after the pus ruptures and is carefully treated, the disease will be cured after 1-2 weeks, leaving no sequelae.
Currently, with endoscopy, doctors will use an electron microscope to make a small hole in the eardrum and place a small catheter there. The catheter passes through the eardrum to suck out the thick mucus in the tympanic cavity and leaves the catheter in place so that the fluid can flow out on its own.
To prevent otitis media in children, adults must keep their children's nose and throat clean every day, minimizing the risk of nasopharyngitis. When children vomit, do not place them with their heads low because the vomit can easily flow into the middle ear. When washing their hair, do not lower their heads too low, water will flow into the middle ear, causing inflammation. If children have nasopharyngitis and adenoiditis, they must be treated thoroughly and properly because these are the causes of otitis media.
In many cases, if adenoiditis is too severe, adenoidectomy must be performed, when prescribed by a doctor. When suspecting a child has otitis media, parents should take their child to an ENT specialist at a reputable hospital. Absolutely do not self-treat your child.
Note, otitis media is a disease that is prone to recurrence, so children need to be monitored regularly at specialized medical facilities.
According to Dan Viet - PC
