A Guide to Otitis Media or Ear Infections

Ear infections are common to children 6 months to 2 years of age. Most infections occur during and after “Colds” and an average child will have 3-5 ear infections in their first 2 years. Ear Infections do tend to "run in families" and there is probably an inherited shape to the middle ear that makes ear infections more likely to occur.

Symptoms:

Children can have intense infections and have no symptoms at all. Most kids will have pulling or tugging at ears, fussiness or generalized pain, low to medium fevers, localized ear tenderness and “Cold” symptoms. All these same symptoms can also occur in other infections when the ears are normal so you can’t assume it’s an ear infection unless we examine the ears directly. Commonly teething can be mistaken for ear infections.

Treatment:

Antibiotics treat the infections and sterilize the space behind the eardrum.

Decongestants are often used to control any extra nose congestion also occurring.

Preventive Care Antibiotics, sometimes used to stop a series of ear infections, can safely be used to help the body’s own immune system to break the cycle of repeat infections in the ear. They’re often the last effort to avoid having “tubes” put in ears.

Bottle Fed Infants frequently get more ear infections. Moving them to cups with lids or at least feeding them upright helps minimize the effect from bottles.

Follow-up:

It’s very important to know the infection is over since symptoms can stop long before the infection stops. Be sure to come back to the office in 10-14 days to recheck the infected ear. Sometimes referral to Ear Nose and Throat Surgeons occurs to stop repeated ear infections.

If you have other questions about Otitis Media or Ear Infections, you can contact the office at:

Info@Laramiekids.com

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A Guide to Otitis Media or Ear Infections

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