It refers to the inflammation of the middle ear. Extreme pain follows this disorder. Occurring commonly in children, it is a sad sight, as most toddlers, cannot even vocalise the reason to their discomfort. Parents, should always be at the edge of taking actions when such drastic incidents take place.
Eustachian tube carries forward a vital role in the normal functioning of the ear. In any case, if the tube gets blocked and swollen, it results in an infection at that point, finally giving rise to acute otitis media. The dysfunctional, swollen tube can be due to;
Home care remedies include;
Acute otitis media (ear infection) describes inflammation of the middle ear, or tympanum. During an ear infection there is fluid in the middle ear accompanied by signs or symptoms of ear infection including a bulging eardrum usually accompanied by pain; or a perforated eardrum, often with drainage of pus (purulent material).
Bottle Feeding is a risk factor for otitis media in infants. Breastfeeding passes immunity to the child that helps prevent acute otitis media. The position of the breastfeeding child is better than the bottle feeding position for Eustachian tube function.
If a child needs to be bottle fed, holding the infant instead of allowing the child to lie down with the bottle is best. A child should not take the bottle to bed. In addition to increasing the chance for acute otitis media, falling asleep with milk in the mouth increases the incidence of tooth decay.
Ear infection symptoms generally include trouble hearing and fever; fluid drainage and dizziness and congestion in the ear. The hallmark of an acute ear infection is sudden, piercing pain in the ear. The pain may be worse when lying down, making it difficult to sleep. Other symptoms include difficulty hearing, fever, fluid drainage from the ears, dizziness, and congestion. Young children with otitis media may be irritable, fussy, or have problems feeding or sleeping. Older children may complain about pain and fullness in the ear (earache). Fever may be present in a child of any age. These symptoms are often associated with signs of upper respiratory infection such as a runny or stuffy nose, or a cough.
Hearing loss may occur as a result of an ear infection because pus buildup dampens eardrum vibrations. Temporary hearing loss may occur during an ear infection because the buildup of pus within the middle ear causes pain, and dampens the vibrations of the eardrum.
Untreated ear infections can lead to more serious complications, including mastoiditis (a rare inflammation of a bone adjacent to the ear), hearing loss, scarring and/or perforation of the eardrum, meningitis, speech and language development problems, facial nerve paralysis, and possibly -- in adults -- Meniere's disease.
Remember that the common cold is a key cause of ear infections. Because of the highly contagious nature of the common cold, one strategy for prevention of the cold itself and subsequent ear infections is to keep cold viruses at bay. The most effective way to do this is frequent and meticulous hand washing. Other strategies to prevent acute ear infections are to ensure a child is vaccinated. Ensuring that a child receives an annual flu vaccine and is up to date with his/her pneumococcal vaccine are excellent strategies used to prevent the most common causes of ear infections. Other lines of defense against ear infections include avoiding secondhand smoke and breastfeeding your baby for the first year of life.
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