Otitis media is one of the most common diseases affecting young children. What is very interesting and what all mothers should remember is the fact that otitis media suffers as much as about 65 percent. babies in the first two years of life! Moreover, up to 30 percent children get ear infections more than three times during their childhood.
How to recognize otitis in a child?
It’s extremely simple. The first symptoms are usually noticed by a scared and concerned mother. The child often cries when he speaks – he complains about earache, if he doesn’t speak – he touches his ear, his head, he tries to put his fingers inside. Unfortunately, otitis is an extremely unpleasant disease for a child. Firstly, it is associated with pain, and secondly, it can cause ear congestion, hearing wheezes or constant squeaking.
When to be especially careful?
- Most often, otitis occurs after a previous illness. It can be a common cold, the flu, or most commonly, an upper respiratory tract infection. If there is a fever during the illness, we may have a feeling that the next stage will be otitis
- Let us remember that children under the age of three are the most vulnerable to the disease!
- When the child is in places where adults smoke cigarettes. Particular care should be taken not to expose the child to cigarette smoke, because, apart from many other terrible consequences, one of them is irritation of the mucous membranes of the nose and throat, which leads to the easy passage of pathogenic microorganisms to the ear
Why do children get sick so often?
The child’s anatomy is “to blame” for this. The ear is not yet fully developed, the tympanic cavity connects to the throat, and this is a very easy way for any bacteria to get in – that’s why infections are so common. In addition, children have a much weaker immune system. Their immune system is not yet fully developed, so you should be especially careful with children.
How to treat a child?
Painkillers, which can usually be bought at a pharmacy or in any store, may not be suitable for a child – they usually indicate from what age they can be administered. Therefore, self-medication is not recommended, you should visit your doctor with your child, who will select the appropriate therapy and relieve your child’s pain. Thanks to this, the child will probably receive antibiotics specially prescribed for him, which will deal with the infection very quickly. Consulting a doctor, the child’s immunity can also be increased by choosing his diet in such a way that it contains as much vitamin C as possible.