Otitis Media or Middle Ear Infection – Caring for kids

-

Infection of the ear is common among children known as Otitis Media. This is basically infection of the middle ear. In newborns the Eustachian tube (connecting the throat with the middle ear) is very small. Therefore, while the newborn is taking milk, some of the milk enters through the middle ear cavity. It gets collected there and infection sets in. It is a very painful condition. It is known as Otitis Media.  It also occurs in slightly older children. The child is generally crying and unable to express himself. The child keeps on touching the ear, and if an older child says that the ear is hurting. There is fever, as well as heaviness in the ear. The hearing is affected for some time. If the condition worsens, pus gets collected behind the ear drum (tympanic membrane). As more pus gets collected, it bursts through the ear drum and there will be pussy discharge.



 According to Dr Mubina Agboatwalla a child specialist in Karachi, if the condition is not treated the pussy discharge continues to occur. The pain decreases when the pus discharge comes out, but the ear drum is damaged with a hole. If the hole is small it gets treated spontaneously, but larger holes need to be treated by surgical tympanoplasty. If left untreated, the pus in the ear spreads to the mastoid bone and the child develops mastoiditis. Otitis media should be immediately treated. Antibiotics need to be given, antiallergics accompanied by steam inhalation. Pain killers are very important. It generally takes a week for the condition to subside.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Q/A session with Dr Mubina Agboatwalla

-
Image
  Q. Do children develop kidney stones ? If yes then what are the symptoms and how can they be treated. A. Yes children as young as one year can develop kidney stones. Generally the stones are small and are found either in the renal pelvis or ureter. As they move down the ureter they can cause severe shooting pain in the back or in the flanks. This generally occurs when the child does not drink enough water. Atleast 8 glasses of water should be taken. Renal colic happens specially in the summer months. The urine may contain small quantities of red blood cells. It may or may not be accompanied by a urine infection. The pain is extremely severe and a shooting type of pain. There may be associated vomiting. Plenty of water should be given to flush out the stones. In rare cases laser surgery can be done. Website - https://www.drmubinaagboatwalla.com/
Read more

Typhoid

-
Image
Typhoid is a disease caused by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. According to Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla - child specialist in Karachi , In recent years, typhoid has become more wide spread. Many resistant strains of typhoid have emerged so that patients do not respond to simple treatments. The clinical symptoms include high grade fever going up to 102 -103 °F. The fever does not touch the normal temperature and generally stays for more than a week. The child looks sick, toxic and lethargic. The tongue is coated white and a bad odor comes from the mouth. The child does not feel like eating and feels nauseated. There may be pain in the abdomen and diarrhea may develop. As time passes vomiting may start too. If not treated in time ulcers may develop in the intestines which can be very dangerous. There may be bleeding from the ulcers leading to blood in the stools and the ulcers may burst, which is a surgical emergency resulting in urgent surgery. ...
Read more

Q/A session with Dr Mubina Agboatwalla - Tonsils

-
Image
  Q. My child’s tonsils are very enlarged. Should I get them removed ?? A. You should get one thing clear is that tonsils are lymphatic tissues that protect the germs from entering the pharynx. In the young age group they provide a lot of protection.. They sometimes become enlarged due to infection but can be treated with medicines. However, in no condition should they be removed. Unless and untiAgter 5 years they start to get smaller. l they become so large as to prevent swallowing. They are like the pillars of protection. Keep a good oral hygiene and gargle daily with salt water. Website Link - https://www.drmubinaagboatwalla.com/
Read more