Author:
Laura McKinney
Date Of Creation:
9 August 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
Ear infections (also called otitis media) are a common problem in babies and young children, but can also occur in adults. Nearly 90% of children have at least one ear infection before the age of three. The infection can be painful as the accumulated fluid presses on the eardrum. Many ear infections go away on their own with home remedies, but in more severe cases or the patient is a child, prescription antibiotics may need to be used for complete cure.
Steps
Method 1 of 6: Determining Ear Inflammation
Know who is most at risk for ear infections. In general, children are more prone to ear infections than adults. This is because the eardrum (the middle ear canal with the nasopharynx) in children is smaller and more prone to fluid retention. Children also have a weaker immune system than adults, and are therefore also more susceptible to viral infections, such as catching the flu. Anything that blocks the ear tubes can cause ear infections. There are also risk factors associated with ear infections, which include:
- Allergy
- Respiratory infections such as colds and sinus infections
- V.A inflammation or problems with V.A (lymphatic tissue located in the upper part of the throat)
- Cigarette smoke
- Excessive drooling and saliva production, for example teething
- Live in cold climates
- Changes in altitude or climate
- Breast-feeding is not allowed in infants
- Just got up sick
- Go to kindergarten, especially when the school has a large number of children
Know the symptoms of an ear infection. Middle ear infection (acute otitis mediaThe most common form of ear infection is caused by a virus or bacteria. The middle ear is the space just behind the eardrum, with many small bones that conduct vibrations into the inner ear. When this area becomes filled with fluid, bacteria and viruses can get in and cause inflammation. Ear infections often follow a respiratory infection like the flu, although some serious allergies can also cause ear infections. Symptoms of otitis media include:- Ear hurt
- There is a feeling of fullness in the ear
- Feeling sick
- Vomit
- Diarrhea
- Hearing loss in the painful ear
- Tinnitus
- Dizziness
- Ear discharge
- Fever, especially in young children
Distinguish between otitis media and "swimming ears". Tai go swimming, also known as external ear infections An infection of the outer ear canal caused by bacteria or fungus. Humidity is a common culprit for this type of infection (hence its name), but scratching or placing foreign objects in the ear canal can make you more susceptible to infection. Symptoms may be mild at first, but often get worse. Symptoms include:- Itching in the outer ear canal
- Red in the ears
- Discomfort increases when pulling or pressing on the outer ear
- Ear discharge (clear and odorless at first, but may progress to pus later)
- More serious symptoms include:
- A feeling of fullness and congestion in the ear
- Hearing loss
- Severe pain spreading to the face and neck
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
- Fever
Look for signs of ear infections in children. Young children may have different ear infections from adults and adults. Since young children cannot describe how much pain they are, look for the following symptoms:- Pull the ear or scratch it
- Head banging wildly
- Frustration, irritability, or non-stop crying
- Difficulty sleeping
- Fever (especially in babies and infants)
- Ear discharge
- Clumsy or difficult to balance
- There is a hearing problem
Know when to seek immediate medical attention. Most ear infections are treatable at home, and many go away on their own. However, if you or your child has some of the following symptoms, you should contact your doctor immediately:
- Blood or pus in the ear oozing (may be white, yellow, green or pink / red)
- Fever is consistently high, especially if the fever is over 39 degrees Celsius
- Dizziness
- Neck stiffness
- Tinnitus
- Pain or swelling behind or around the ear
- Ear pain lasts more than 48 hours
Method 2 of 6: Get Medical Help
Take your baby to the doctor if he or she is under 6 months old. If you notice any of the signs of ear infections in your baby, you should immediately take your baby to the doctor. The infant's immune system at this age is not fully developed. Babies are at a much higher risk of infection and need immediate antibiotic treatment.
- Do not try home remedies for babies and young children. Always consult your pediatrician for the most appropriate direction of care.
See your doctor to have your ears checked. If you suspect that you or your child has severe ear infections, prepare for the procedure below:
- Examination of the eardrum with the endoscope. It can be difficult to keep a baby still during an exam, but it is an important test to determine if the child has ear infections.
- Check to see if anything is clogging or filling the middle ear by using the bronchoscope and balloon pump to blow air into the eardrum. The airflow causes the eardrum to move back and forth. If fluid is present, the eardrum will not be able to move easily, and that is a sign of an ear infection.
- Test with a device called a tympanometer, which uses sound and air pressure to see if there is liquid in the middle ear.
- If the infection is chronic or severe, your doctor may test your ear hearing to determine if hearing loss is present.
Be ready for your doctor to examine the eardrum more closely for chronic or persistent inflammation. If you or your baby starts to feel sick because of an ear problem, your doctor may poke a hole in the eardrum and remove fluid in the middle ear for testing.
Remember that many ear infections can be treated at home. Many cases of ear infections will go away on their own. Some ear infections can go away within a few days, and most go away on their own in 1-2 weeks without treatment. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians recommend a "wait and see" approach with the following guidelines:
- Children 6 to 23 months: Wait and see if your baby has mild pain in one ear for less than 48 hours and their temperature is below 39 degrees Celsius
- Children over 24 months: Wait and see if your baby has mild pain in one or both ears for less than 48 hours and their temperature is below 39 degrees Celsius.
- If it lasts more than 48 hours, you need to see a doctor. Antibiotics are usually given to stop the infection from spreading and to reduce the risk of rare life-threatening infections.
- More serious and rare complications may arise, including mastitis (inflammation of the bones around the skull), meningitis, infection that spreads to the brain, or hearing loss.
Be careful when traveling with a child with ear infections. Children with ear infections are at increased risk of a pain phenomenon called barotrauma, which is pain when the middle ear tries to correct with a change in pressure. Chewing gum during aircraft takeoff and landing can reduce this phenomenon.
- If you are traveling with an infant with ear infections, you should give your baby a bottle during flight takeoff and landing to help regulate the pressure in the child's middle ear.
Method 3 of 6: Home Treatment for Ear Pain
Over-the-counter pain relievers. You can take ibuprofen or acetaminophen if the pain doesn't go away on its own or if other symptoms don't appear. These medicines can also help reduce your child's fever and make them more comfortable.
- Never give aspirin to a child younger than 18 years old because it is linked to Reye's syndrome, which can lead to brain damage and liver problems.
- Use medicine to enhance children's health when giving pain relievers to children. Follow the directions on the pack or ask your pediatrician.
- Do not give ibuprofen to children under 6 months old.
Apply a warm compress. Warm compresses will help relieve pain in the inflamed ear. You can use a warm, damp washcloth.
- You can put the rice or beans in a clean sock and tie or sew them up. Microwave for 30 seconds to reach the desired temperature. Apply gauze to your ear.
- You can also use salt as a natural remedy. Heat a cup of salt and wrap it in a cloth, tying it with elastic. Lie down and place the bag of salt over the inflamed ear for 5-10 minutes while it is as hot as it can stand.
- Apply warm compresses for 15-20 minutes each time.
Rest much. Your body needs rest to recover from inflammation. Make sure not to exert yourself when you have an ear infection, especially if you have a fever.
- Your pediatrician does not recommend leaving your child out of school because of ear infections unless he or she has a fever. However, you need to watch your baby to make sure he gets the rest when he needs it.
Stay hydrated. Especially when you have a fever, you need to drink extra fluids.
- The Institute of Medicine recommends that men drink at least 13 cups (3 liters) of water, and women drink at least 9 cups (2.2 liters) of water.
Try the Valsalva maneuver if it doesn't hurt. The Valsalva procedure can be used to open the ear canal and relieve the feeling of "blockage" that can occur when you have otitis media. Use this procedure only when your ears are not sore.
- Take a deep breath and close your mouth.
- Squeeze your nose. While holding your nose, gently "blow" through your nose.
- Don't blow too hard, as this can damage the eardrum. You should hear an "explosion" sound in your ear.
Put a few drops of warm mullein oil or garlic oil in the ear. Mullein and garlic are natural antibiotics and can ease ear pain. If you don't have garlic oil available, you can make it at home. Simply heat two cloves of garlic along with 2 tablespoons of mustard oil or sesame oil until the mixture turns black. Let the oil cool and use the eye dropper to put 2-3 drops of warm (never hot) oil into each ear.
- You should always Consult a doctor before trying this therapy in children.
Try natural remedies. There is research showing that a natural herbal remedy called Oticon Otic can be helpful in relieving pain associated with ear infections.
- Consult with your doctor before taking this therapy. Never give substitute medicine to a young child without consulting your pediatrician first.
Method 4 of 6: Condition Monitoring
Carefully monitor the condition of the ear. Measure your body temperature regularly and watch for other symptoms.
- If the fever increases or flu-like symptoms such as nausea or vomiting are observed, it could be a sign that the infection is getting worse and home remedies are not working.
- Symptoms that require you to see the doctor include: drowsiness, stiff neck, swelling, pain, or redness around the ears. These symptoms indicate that the infection may be spreading and that it needs to be treated right away.
Notice if you have severe pain and then no longer have any pain. This could be a sign of a ruptured eardrum. A perforation of the eardrum can lead to temporary hearing loss and also make the ear more susceptible to infections and worse.
- In addition to the pain relief, there may be fluid in the ear.
- Although the perforated eardrum usually heals within a few weeks without treatment, there are persistent problems that require medical intervention or treatment.
Call your doctor if pain worsens within 48 hours. While most doctors recommend “wait and see” for 48 hours, if pain intensifies during that time, call your doctor. The doctor may decide to either intensify treatment or take antibiotics.
Hearing test if fluid buildup in ears continues after 3 months. This can be accompanied by serious hearing problems.
- Hearing loss can sometimes occur for a short period of time, which is especially worrisome for children 2 years of age and younger.
- If your child is younger than 2 years old and has fluid in the ears and has a hearing problem, your doctor can start treatment right away without waiting up to 3 months.Hearing problems at this age can affect a child's speech and lead to other problems.
Method 5 of 6: Using Antibiotics and Medical Treatments
Take antibiotics as prescribed. Antibiotics are not effective against viral ear infections, so doctors don't always prescribe antibiotics to treat ear infections. All children under 6 months of age are treated with antibiotics.
- Tell your doctor about the last time you took the antibiotic and the name of the antibiotic. This will help your doctor choose the medicine that is most effective for you.
- Make sure to take the full dose of antibiotics as prescribed so that the infection does not return.
- Do not stop taking antibiotics even if you feel better until you have taken the full dose prescribed by your doctor. Stopping antibiotics before completing the course of treatment can cause resistance to the remaining bacteria, making the disease even more difficult to cure.
Ask your doctor to prescribe ear drops. Ear drops such as antipyrine-benzocaine-glycerin (Aurodex) can help relieve the pain of ear infections. Your doctor will not prescribe ear drops for someone with a torn or ruptured eardrum.
- To let your baby's ear drop, first warm the ear drop by placing the bottle in warm water or holding it in your hand for a few minutes. Lay your child on a flat surface with the sore ear facing up, facing you. Use as directed. Let the child tilt their head, the sore ear facing upward for about 2 minutes.
- Since benzocaine is an anesthetic, it's best to have someone else drop your ears. Avoid letting the bottle touch your ear.
- Benzocaine can cause mild itching or redness. It can also be linked to a rare but serious condition that affects oxygen levels in the blood. Never exceed the recommended dose, and always consult your pediatrician to make sure your child is getting the correct dose.
Ask your doctor about ear catheters if the ear infection is repeated. Repeated otitis media may require treatment with a procedure called ducts. Repeated illness means illness that has occurred three times in the past six months, or four times in the past year and at least once in the past six months. An ear infection that does not go away after treatment is also a "candidate" for this procedure.
- Ear canal surgery, or catheterization, is an outpatient regimen. The surgeon will place very small tubes into the eardrum so that the fluid behind the eardrum can drain more easily. The eardrum usually closes after the tube falls out or is removed.
Consult your doctor about the possibility of curettage of V.A to remove inflamed lymph nodes. If you have persistent tonsillitis - the masses of tissue behind your sinuses, you may need surgery to remove them. advertisement
Method 6 of 6: Prevent Ear Infection
Update vaccination. Many serious infections can be prevented with vaccination. Seasonal and pneumococcal flu vaccines can help reduce the likelihood of ear infections.
- You and your family members should get a flu shot every year. The vaccination will help keep you and your family free from infection.
- Experts recommend PCV 13 conjugated pneumococcal vaccine for young children. You should consult your pediatrician.
Keep children's hands, toys and play areas clean. Wash children's hands and wash children's toys and play floors often to reduce the risk of infection.
Avoid giving a baby pacifier. Breast prostheses can be mediators of bacteria, including ear infections.
Breastfeed instead of bottle. Leaks occur when a baby is bottle-fed rather than a breastfed infant, making the chance of transmitting bacteria higher.
- Breast milk also helps improve the child's immune system, helping children fight infections more easily.
- If it is necessary to bottle feed your baby, you need to sit in the baby's seat so that the milk will flow down and out of the baby's ear.
- Never give a bottle to a baby while he's drowsy or to comfort a baby to sleep at night.
Reduce secondhand smoke exposure. You should do this to prevent ear infections and also for your safety and overall health.
Do not overuse antibiotics. Long-term use of antibiotics can cause certain types of bacteria in the body to become resistant to certain drugs. Use antibiotics only when prescribed by your doctor, or when there is no other option.
You should avoid child care or take extreme precautions. In places like kindergartens, the likelihood of ear infections increases by 50% because there is often both bacterial and viral infections.
- If you have to care for your child in kindergarten, teach your child a few skills to avoid catching illnesses like the flu that can cause ear infections.
- Teach children not to put toys or fingers in their mouths, avoid touching their faces, especially in areas with mucous membranes such as mouth, eyes and nose. Children should also wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet.
Eat a healthy diet, including probiotics. Eating a variety of fresh fruits, whole grains and lean protein will help you stay fit and healthy. Research has shown that "good" bacteria like probiotics can protect the body from infection.
- Acidophilus is a well-studied probiotic. You can find it in a variety of yogurts.
