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30 March 2017
The child has an earache - what can be done urgently at home and how to relieve the pain.
Ear infections are a common problem in children. More than 90% of children under the age of 5 experience ear inflammation.
It is not difficult to determine the disease: a child who can speak will tell himself what worries him, the kids will constantly be naughty, pull their ears and cry, as a rule, inflammation is accompanied by high fever. In this case, parents need to see an otolaryngologist as soon as possible, but sometimes it is impossible to get an appointment right away. How to help the baby in such a situation? What should mom and dad do? How not to harm the little man?
Yes, absolutely similar cases pass through our office. My advice, and not my request to parents, is not to try and pull them out because they can't pinpoint ear or tweezer access when they are removed, and perforation of the membrane with permanent damage is very common. dislocation of auditory bones, etc. if a foreign object gets into the child's ear, he should seek help from a specialist.
PRAYER: Nadia Pelova died of fear that her daughter Nicole might lose her hearing. Otitis media in children is caused by bacteria and viruses. The most common culprit is streptococcal pneumonia, also known as pneumococcus pneumoniae. The most common viral causes include respiratory syncytial viruses, influenza viruses, rhinoviruses, and adenoviruses. Complaints of inflammation of the middle ear are age-related, but are generally not found in infants and young children. Therefore, doctors advise parents to take their child for examination if one or more of the following symptoms are present: fever, restlessness during the day, insomnia, lack of appetite, vomiting, ear dressing, ear or upper airway touching.
Why does my ear hurt
A child's ears can hurt for various reasons:
- features of the structure of the child's body. The auditory tube of children is short. Another and the angle of the tube to the nasopharynx (it is less than that of an adult). Fluid from the nasopharynx easily enters this tube and causes inflammation, which then spreads to the middle ear, in which fluid accumulates, pressing on the eardrum, causing severe pain;
- genetics. If problems with the ears often bothered mom and / or dad in childhood, then with a high degree of probability their ears will often hurt too
- nationality. It has been proven that the Japanese practically do not have ear diseases, and the children of Indians and Eskimos suffer from them quite often;
- SARS. Viral diseases much more often affect children than adults. Inflammation of the ear "complements" the temperature, cough;
- bacterial infection. The middle ear is often affected by bacteria: streptococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella. Ear pain caused by bacteria occurs suddenly, it is not accompanied by a runny nose and cough, the temperature either remains normal or rises slightly;
- allergic reactions. Ear problems are often associated with allergic rhinitis. The nasopharynx swells, fluid accumulates in the auditory tube, causing inflammation.
How to relieve pain and how to help
The most reasonable solution to the problem would be to immediately consult a doctor, since only a specialist will be able to examine the child's ear in detail using an otoscope. If it is impossible to get to the doctor in the near future, you need to act in the following way:
Treatment of the disease includes the mandatory administration of antibiotics, and more frequent cases of otitis media and subsequent more frequent use of such drugs can lead to antibiotic resistance. Doctors say that pneumococcal disease can be prevented by vaccination, and mass immunization programs have been introduced in many European countries.
The enterovirus boom in Sofia and several other cities in the country is causing a disease that resembles smallpox. The rash covers the palms, legs and throat. In some infected children, the condition is more severe, with high fever and mucosal distention of the mouth. The rash is thin, but the itching is very severe, and aphthuses appear on the lining of the mouth. The infection is caused by a specific enterovirus that affects adults in addition to children.
- Anesthetize. Ibuprofen or Paracetamol (taken by mouth) can be used for pain relief. These same tools will help bring down the temperature of the child.
- Drip drops into the nose (vasoconstrictor). This tool will help relieve swelling, open the auditory tube, as a result, the accumulated fluid can flow into the nasopharynx, reducing pressure on the membrane and soothing the pain.
Be careful with drops
Many children are concerned about problems with the ears, so some caring parents buy ear drops with anti-inflammatory and anesthetic effects at the pharmacy in advance in order to “be fully armed” in case of illness. The most popular Otipaks, Otinum. Of course, these remedies are effective, but they have a serious contraindication - they cannot be instilled if the integrity of the eardrum is violated (one of the signs of damage is fluid flowing from the ear). It is impossible to independently assess the integrity of the membrane, special equipment is needed, so it is better not to use drops without a doctor's prescription. Through a damaged membrane, they can enter the middle ear and cause further hearing loss. Are such sacrifices justified?
The condition is contagious, and a child can easily pick up the virus from a kindergarten satellite. For more than a week, our daughter was at a temperature of more than 39 degrees, we were led by six doctors, and none of them could understand what it was, and the condition worsened, because it was all a complete mystery of how and how he got sick, says trembling the voice of 24-year-old Nadia Pelova. A few days ago, a young mother experienced a real nightmare. Because none of the specialists she consulted could accurately diagnose and prescribe adequate treatment, Nicole's 4-year-old daughter suddenly begins to lose her hearing.
Would dry heat help?
Opinions about applying a dry warm compress are mixed. Some doctors recommend warming up a sore ear, others do not recommend, others suggest sticking to the middle (you can warm it up, you can’t overheat it). Who is right?
Dry heat can indeed be beneficial if applied at the very beginning of the development of the disease. It helps to relieve inflammation, reduce pain, but if the result is the opposite (when applied, the pain decreases, but increases), then dry heat should be abandoned.
Otitis media and its causes
This tells the specialist where the problem is, and after a thorough examination, they find that the child has inflammation of both ears, called bilateral otitis media. It is caused by bacteria and viruses that are transmitted very easily by airborne droplets but are stubborn and difficult to treat, if you touch something that has been infected and then touch your ear, you can get sick, so the doctors told me, she describes an easy way transmission of otida by Nadya Pelova. Doctors noted that ear infections are common in young children. According to official figures, about 75 percent of children under the age of 3 have otitis media, or inflammation of the middle ear, which affects the eardrum and cannot be detected at a glance unless a discharge is made. “Otitis media in children is painful and painful for the whole family and is at risk for long-term complications,” said Dr. Ivaylo Grigorov, personal physician.
You can not warm the ear if it has been hurting for several hours, since such pain indicates inflammation, which will only intensify when heated. Heat increases pressure on the membrane, causing it to rupture.
With an ear disease, you can use a simple cotton compress. A large piece of cotton wool is applied to the painful ear, which is covered with a film on top and tied with a scarf. This bandage will not significantly heat the sore ear, it will protect it from external influences, since during inflammation, pain sensations intensify even with a slight breath of wind. You should not insist on such a compress if the child categorically refuses it (is naughty, tears off the bandage). Nervous shock will only aggravate the situation.
According to a specialist a few days ago, the family of 4-year-old Nicole is also confident. Parents will never forget the day they went to get her out of the garden and find her energetic daughter, whimsical and weak. The child was completely helpless, no one paid attention to him, and noticed that he was sick, it was very warm, his eyes were teary, it was obvious that it was bad, and even a layman could appreciate it. He took the temperature on the spot and the thermometer 39 degrees. Then the temperature rose, the child began to vomit, and we thought it was a classic virus with a disorder, explains Nadya Pelova.
The methods listed above (dry heat, compresses) cannot be used for:
- a significant increase in temperature;
- liquid and purulent discharge from the ear.
You can’t overheat the ear too much, so you need to forget about “grandmother’s” advice (warm the ear with hot salt, boiled egg). It is not recommended to make alcohol compresses and instill alcohol (boric) into the child's ear, as it is highly toxic.
He and his wife immediately brought their daughter to the Vratsa hospital. The initial diagnosis of the doctor coincides with the assumption of the parents. Although treatment begins, the child's condition remains unchanged. Nicole didn't throw up a second time and we thought she went down with something she ate in the garden the same day they gave them fresh milk and we thought that was the reason but the temperature didn't go down but other doctors had problems and Nicole had no symptoms other than a fever, and no one could explain why there were poor results of the study, the mother and father of a 4-year-old girl explain the same child.
Otitis externa
It happens that ear pain is caused by inflammation of the auditory tube itself. This is the so-called otitis externa. A characteristic symptom of the disease is increased pain or retraction of the ear shell, opening of the mouth. The ear canal swells and narrows, red rashes and itching appear.
Otitis externa may result from:
- Excessive hygiene. Removal of protective sulfur from the ear leads to the reproduction of pathogenic organisms, which cause inflammation.
- Injury. Small children often put foreign objects (buttons, needles) in their ears and injure the passage.
- Water ingress. Due to frequent bathing, diving, water enters the ear, causing inflammation. Swimmers are the most affected by otitis externa.
There are 2 forms:
Doctors acknowledge that this case is not isolated. In recent weeks their offices have been coming in more and more. children whose complaints are exhausted with high fever and general fatigue. Due to the absence of other symptoms and the ineffectiveness of treatment, many parents worry about whether specialists have made the correct diagnosis. At the beginning of the month, the head of the children's clinic of the Capital Infectious Diseases Hospital, Dr. Atanas Mangarov, warned that the so-called summer flu is currently underway, which has all the symptoms of the flu, but is not caused by the influenza virus, and in this case, due to the enterovirus.
- diffuse. Such inflammation is provoked by bacteria, fungi, allergens. Microorganisms spread with trauma to the ear canal and an insufficient layer of sulfur. Such otitis is characterized by: severe pain, fever;
- Limited. With such otitis media, foci of inflammation appear in the ear canal: a furuncle, an inflamed hair follicle. The child has enlarged lymph nodes. At the opening and rupture of the boil, pus flows from the ear.
A doctor can diagnose otitis externa, since the child's ear canal is very narrow, and inflammation can only be seen in it with the help of special equipment.
This is dangerous for him, although in a small percentage of cases it can also affect the envelopes of the brain. More cases of viral meningitis have been reported in Haskovo, Plovdiv and Sofia in recent weeks. This is also one of the diagnoses given by one of the doctors who examined 4-year-old Nicole Vratsa. “We were very stressed that the disease was different, and the fact that the little one could not tell that she was in pain and explained that it was her head,” the girl’s parents say. We drove into a vicious circle of not knowing what was going on for almost a week, but the real shock came when Nicole stopped listening to us.
Treatment of otitis externa
You can treat otitis externa at home, but a doctor should prescribe drugs and control recovery. The treatment procedure includes the use of:
- Medicinal preparations. Otitis externa is treated with anti-inflammatory drugs. If the disease is caused by bacteria, the doctor will prescribe a course of antibiotics. It is allowed to put cotton flagella with ointment in the ear, use lotions.
- Additional funds. Among them are popular warming compresses, vitamin complexes,
If severe inflammation does not go away for a long time, hospitalization may be required to open the abscess.
Before going to the doctor, you can give the baby painkillers.
The TV is full of power - it tells us that it can't hear and asks us to increase the volume, and more than that is impossible. At first we thought it was a child's number and pretended to be. She sits, we talk, she doesn't know what's the matter. We sent her to friends, and the same thing happened to them, - Nadia's mother said in a trembling voice, worried that Nicole's father and father were immediately looking for a doctor in Sofia, and, to their surprise, specialists in the capital also struggled with the diagnosis and decided that hearing problems are due to impure earwax.
Her ears cleared, but she still couldn't hear. You don't know that your child is looking in his mouth and trying to understand what you are talking about. The bad thing about the bacteria that cause otitis media is that they are transmitted very easily by airborne droplets, explains Father Valerie, Children's Cluster and especially Kindergarten- an ideal place for the spread of this disease, especially in the summer season. experts in the country report the growth of various types of bacteria, viruses and fungi. It is on this tried and tested pattern that the parents of a 4-year-old girl are convinced that their daughter has become infected.
Subtleties of instillation of drops in the ear
Otitis is treated with ear drops (you don’t need to prescribe them on your own, you can do harm). When instilled, a number of conditions must be observed:
- Wash your hands thoroughly before the procedure.
- Drops should not be cold. They must be warmed up before use. hot water or hand. You can test the temperature of the drops by dropping them on your hand.
- The child during the procedure should lie on his side, his ear must be held.
- The baby's ear should be pulled back and slightly down, in older children - back and slightly up.
- The kid should lie on his side in order for the drops to work, then the procedure should be repeated with the second ear.
- After instillation of drops, the child's ear canal must be closed with cotton wool.
- Do not exceed the recommended dosage. You do not need to drip 3 drops, if the doctor recommended 2, this will not speed up recovery, but will only harm the child. Be sure to observe the frequency and interval between procedures.
- If an additional pipette is needed for instillation of drops (not all products have it), then before each procedure it must be treated with boiling water.
- If the child is concerned about only one ear, drops should be instilled in both.
ethnoscience
After examining a doctor and his permission to use drops, compresses, you can use funds traditional medicine as a complex therapy. The ear can be treated:
Even if there are other infected children in the garden, tell us. These things are kept secret. The thing is, our daughter infected us. The doctors told us that this moment swimming pools are full of fungi, viruses and bacteria in the ears. We did not bring our child to such places at all. Perhaps someone from the group caught the owl from the pool and then turned it over into the garden, - Father Valery explains to himself the transmission system of the disease, after taking four antibiotics, two of which are intravenous and pop-up membranes of the eardrums, Nicole is now healthy again. We're glad he was right, but the experience was terrible.
- camphor oil. It is slightly warmed up and buried in the ear;
- a leaf of Pelargonium (room geranium). The leaf of the plant is kneaded in the hand, folded into a bag and inserted into the ear;
- walnut (walnut) oil. oil is squeezed out of the nut itself and instilled 2 drops into the ear;
- propolis and honey. Both components are mixed (proportion 1:1), 2 drops are instilled overnight in each ear;
- oil and propolis. Propolis and corn (you can use olive) oil are mixed (1: 2), applied to a cotton swab and placed in each ear;
- baked onions. Bake the onion until the juice is released, remove it from the oven, squeeze the juice through gauze and drip into the ear (dig in warm);
So, let's repeat the algorithm of action for ear pain in a child. Firstly, give the baby an anesthetic, and secondly, take the child to a specialist and follow his recommendations in the treatment.
We advise other parents to be more careful and keep in mind that the likelihood of infection with these bacteria is now greater, both parents explain. Uhaha in children, especially in the first year of life, is a serious test for every mother. The shrill and piercing cry of the child, combined with the bizarre and constant anxiety, just stood by surprise. In addition, it is not immediately clear that the child has an earache, because such symptoms can be in the toothache and even in the stomach. However, there are several signs that a mother may unconsciously understand about a sore ear.
In their entire life, every person at least once faces the fact that his ear hurts. 3 years is the age when the problem appears most often. It is worth noting that pain is not the disease itself. Rather, this sign can be called a symptom. It appears when there is a problem. This article will tell you what to do if First Aid is brought to your attention. You will also learn about ways to treat the underlying disease.
Causes of ear pain in children
Make sure you don't hit if the child's eyes or push if there is a foreign body, it will also cause pain.
What will mom do if the child complains about the ear
Do half a minute and repeat the procedure 3-4 times in a row. Get your eyelids so many times a day and it will stop hurting.Effective treatment of ear pain: medical prescriptions
A child's earache can and should be a warning by learning proper hygiene and explaining, not discouraged. And young children just have to protect themselves from any small objects that could damage the ear, and crumbs and behavior are often observed. Pain is a common complaint of childhood illness. It is often difficult for a doctor to determine true reason. AT different periods childhood pain manifests itself in different ways. Pain in the newborn and infant most often occurs with anxiety and prolonged crying that is difficult to manage even with the delivery of a pacifier.
Why does my ear hurt?
What to do at home with the manifestation of this symptom, you will learn further. To begin with, it is worth saying why a person may have this feeling. Pain is most often a sign of inflammation or injury. Also, some problems (neurological, dental) can provoke irradiation of unpleasant sensations in the ear.
In newborns and infants, we often see crying in umbilical colic, which is short. Most often, these colic are innocent, the child develops well and develops properly. Older children can now locate their pain. However, children cannot accurately locate the pain and its intensity.
The pain in the ear is sharp, the children cry painfully and for a long time, and are very restless. These pains usually occur after a sore throat or upper respiratory tract. The mother can easily check if the child has ear pain if she gently presses the area against the ear canal. If the child gargles strongly with this push, the suspicion of inflammation in the middle ear is high. This question will best be clarified by the ear doctor.
Usually provoked by an inflammatory process. Babies are prone to these pathologies due to the structural features of their body. Most often, the doctor makes the following diagnoses for children: acute and chronic otitis media, purulent inflammation, eustachitis, and so on.
Should I pay attention to the problem?
If the child has an earache, the doctor must necessarily conduct an examination. On your own, you are not able to determine what caused the development of an unpleasant symptom. It should be noted that the treatment depends on the diagnosis. When a child has an earache, symptoms can manifest as follows: congestion, itching, redness, pus, fever, and so on. Be sure to remember everything that your baby complains about and tell the doctor about it.
Ignoring the problem often leads to the development of unpleasant consequences and complications. These include hearing loss, seizures, meningitis, and the like.
The child's ear hurts: first aid. What can parents do?
If the baby has a very severe pain in the ears, which is accompanied by lumbago, then he needs to be helped immediately. The fastest and most effective remedy in this situation will be a drug containing ibuprofen or paracetamol. It can be Nurofen, Panadol, Cefekon, or any other remedy that is in your first aid kit.
Remember that such compounds reduce the temperature. That is why it is worth measuring it before using them. The information obtained will be useful to the doctor in making a diagnosis and making prescriptions. After all, antibiotics are prescribed to children in most cases when the body temperature rises.
Using drops: pros and cons
If at home? Never grab onto topical products right away. In other words, drops. The use of some formulations is unacceptable with a damaged membrane. It is worth recalling that you cannot establish this fact yourself. Only a specialist with the help of an otoscope will be able to examine the indicated area and determine its integrity.
If intact, then often otorhinolarynologists prescribe drops for children. Such compounds can relieve inflammation and reduce pain. These include Otipax and Otinum. These compounds are the most popular. The opinions of experts about the use of these drugs differ. There is a group of doctors who say that ear pain can be relieved by the above means (with ibuprofen or paracetamol), and for treatment it is better to use Otofa or Dioxidin drops. These drugs belong to the group of antibiotics. Often, for children, the drug "Dioxidin" is prescribed simultaneously with magnesia. Such a composition has an antibacterial and regenerating effect, due to which the disease quickly recedes.
Application of compresses
What should I do if my child's ear hurts? Parents' first aid often consists of using a compress. When the child starts to complain discomfort, mother or grandmother warm up camphor and apply it to the sore spot. Some manage to bury this composition in their ears.
Experts strongly do not recommend such manipulations. It is always necessary to remember a very important thing: it is forbidden to heat a purulent inflammatory process. Otherwise, the boil may rupture and worsen the patient's condition, up to hearing loss and meningitis. Only a specialist can prescribe compresses. Remember this.
The use of antibacterial agents
If a child has an earache, antibiotics are inevitable. In most cases, pathology is caused by the multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms. Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that can always be present in a person's nose and ear. It is worth a little cold, as the microorganism immediately wakes up and begins to act. Only antibiotics can deal with it.
As you already know, there are preparations for topical use - Otofa and Dioxidin. However, they are not enough. Treatment is most often prescribed complex, in order to surely eliminate the problem. The described drops are accompanied by oral, intramuscular or intravenous administration of antibiotics. Effective drugs include Amoxicillin, Amoxiclav, Flemoxin, Cefatoxime, Ceftriaxone, etc. The dosage and duration of use are determined by the doctor.
Additional funds
When a child develops otitis, it is imperative to pay attention to the accompanying symptoms. Usually this pathology is accompanied by a runny nose. At the same time as the ear, in this case, the nose must also be treated. Otherwise, the effect of the medicines will not be complete.
As additional drugs, the doctor prescribes vasoconstrictor drugs ("Zirtek", "Tizin", "Avamys"). Drops with an antibacterial effect are also used for injection into the nasal passages (Isofra, Polydex, Bioparox). Washing the sinuses with inflammation in the ears is strictly prohibited.
Folk remedies for ear pain
- Laurel decoction. Take five laurels and boil them in half a liter of water. Let the broth brew and cool. After that, drip the prepared remedy into your ear. The medicine has an anti-inflammatory and resolving effect.
- Almond oil. This tool is sold in almost every pharmacy chain. Insert a cotton swab soaked in almond oil into the ear canal. It has a calming effect, reduces pain and relieves noise.
- water regime. If the ear hurts, then it should never be allowed to get wet. A moist environment is an excellent flora for the reproduction of fungi and bacteria. That is why shampooing is prohibited until complete recovery. Compliance with the water regime will allow you to get rid of the problem quickly and with minimal effort.
A little summary
So, what to do when a child's ear hurts? First aid on your part should be to call a pediatrician. Only according to the appointment of a specialist can these or other drugs be used. Remember that they all have side effects and contraindications. Never change the dosage and regimen on your own. Follow all expert advice. Good health to you!