Family Care
Acute Otitis Media

Otitis media in infants and young children are very common bacterial and viral infections; in most cases this infection is usually caused by catching a cold.Therefore, the best way of preventing otitis media is to prevent catching a cold. Otitis media in infants and young children in general is easier to happen, mainly due to infant’s auditory tube shorter and straighter, while the child is lying on the bed when time  of feeding, milk, nasal fluid or vomit can easily get into the middle ear, causing bacterial infections, and young children with adenoid hypertrophy is not fully mature immune system causing otitis media, but with increasing age, the auditory tube begin to get longer and narrower, the occurrence of decreasing the chance of otitis media.

 

Patients with congenital auditory tube are usually short and narrow, oversized tonsils or family history of allergic rhinitis increased chances more easily. Symptoms of otitis media will be runny nose, stuffy nose, fever, respiratory symptoms, sudden earache and minor “earplug”. Parents should aware of their child’s discomfort, often signs of discomfort will be clutching ear, irritability, crying easily become irritable temperament which can lead to sleepless nights. Should the situation deteriorate so, or will be converted into acute otitis media, too much accumulation of pus in the ear cavity, resulting in middle ear pressure, with pain getting more severe, it may cause the eardrum perforation. If the inflammation extends to the inner ear, causing hearing problems which is mastoiditis; more serious will go to the brain leading meningitis or encephalitis and even at risk to death . Therefore, parents should not be taken lightly and delaying treatment.

 

A survey indicated, many parents lack the knowledge of acute otitis media, ignoring their child's symptoms, affect the treatment. With addition to many paretns did not know about streptococcus pneumonia which is a big factor that causes acute otitis media. A pediatric doctor's advice, parents should help their young child to clean their ears daily to avoid bacterial infection in the prevention of acute otitis media. In addition, it is recommended that parents should bring their children before the age of two for vaccination of streptococcus pneumonia and acute otitis media, providing full protection for their children early.

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