Ear infections are much more common during cold and flu season, small children are more prone to ear infections, are there treatments placement of tubes in the ear; another treatment is the antibiotic applied as drops in the ear canal.
Dear Dr. Johnson: For the past 10 months, my son has had repeat ear infections (on average one every six weeks or so) and multiple courses of antibiotics. Our pediatrician has recommended that we consider putting in ear tubes. But I’m still concerned because it’s surgery and requires my child to be put under anesthesia. I read a newspaper article about the tubes, which said they’re overused and we don’t know the long-term effects. Any advice? I don’t want my child to keep suffering through all these ear infections.
Dear Reader: You are facing a dilemma that many parents face this time of year. Ear infections are much more common during cold and flu season. I find that many parents don’t understand what causes ear infections so they don’t necessarily understand how ear tubes (aka tympanostomy tubes) can help. Middle ear infections (otitis media) is an infection in the middle ear space behind the ear drum. The eustachian tube is a small tube that goes from the middle ear to the nose and drains any fluid from the middle ear. When a child has nasal congestion from a cold or allergies, this tube can become blocked and result in accumulation of fluid in the ear. Bacteria can begin to grow and result in an infection. The reason small children are more prone to ear infections is that their eustachian tube is… continue reading
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