Children say earache, beware of secretory otitis media

In daily life, I sometimes hear children complaining of dizziness, ear pain, and inability to hear sounds. Parents do not find any abnormality in the appearance of the ears, and the children say that the symptoms are sometimes absent, so it is easy to be judged. Neglect, some children’s symptoms will gradually disappear, but some children still have related symptoms after several months, and only after they go to the ENT specialist to find out the middle ear inflammation, if not treated properly, it is easy to affect the children’s hearing and daily study and life. , Therefore, when the child says earache, parents must not ignore it, it may be secretory otitis media.

What is secretory otitis media

This type of otitis media is not directly caused by bacterial or viral infection, but is caused by the imbalance of internal and external pressure in the middle ear and the poor drainage of secretions. However, despite this, secretory otitis media is often secondary to acute otitis media.

The effusion produced by otitis in secretion is mostly concentrated in the tympanic cavity of the ear, and the Eustachian tube plays an important role in its development. The tympanic tube has the characteristics of being “shorter, flatter, and straighter”, and its defense effect is relatively weak, so children are more likely to suffer from middle ear diseases.

Symptoms of secretory otitis media

The question that parents are more concerned about is, when their children suffer from secretory otitis media, what are the symptoms? The following are possible manifestations:

(1) The child may feel fullness in the ear and appear tinnitus;

(2) Hearing loss: some children cannot express clearly, Parents can make judgments by carefully observing whether the child’s response to the surrounding sounds has weakened;

(3) Older children may express that their own voice has become louder, that is, self-listening is enhanced;

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(4) Ear pain is relatively rare, but overall, the clinical manifestations of secretory otitis media are not typical, it is not easy to be detected, and treatment is easily delayed, but many secretory otitis media are transient, even if they are not timely If you find it, you will heal yourself, so you need to pay attention to it, but you don’t need to be too afraid and worried. (Contributed by Bishan District Maternal and Child Health Hospital)