Childhood otitis, ear pain

Summer baths raise up to 50 percent of cases of otitis externa, a condition that can be prevented with the use of plugs. And it is that in the warm times of the year, due to the increase of heat and humidity are more frequent diffuse external otitis that are favored by frequent baths.

On the other hand, in the winter, otitis media are more common as a result of viral infections or bacteria that affect the respiratory tract as a consequence of colds and colds in children.

What is otitis and how does it affect children?

Otitis is the infection and inflammation of the tissues that make up the ear. Depending on the area of ​​the affected ear, they will be called Otitis externa or Otitis Media.


1. External otitis is the infection of the auditory pinna and / or the external auditory canal and, in turn, they are divided into localized otitis externa, when it only affects a small part of the ear -generally a hair follicle- and diffuse otitis externa, which affects the entire external auditory canal and auditory pinna.

2. Otitis media is the infection of the cavity that exists behind the tympanic membrane, where the ossicles that transmit the sound to the inner ear and that communicates with the nose through the eustachian tube are located to equalize the air pressure of this cavity with that of the air of the medium in which we are.

What are the causes of otitis?

The causes of otitis will vary depending on the affected region:
1. In localized otitis externa, the fundamental cause is the scratching of the entrance of the external auditory canal. In this way the defensive barrier of the skin is broken and germs are introduced from our environment that affect that skin or hair where we have scratched.


2. External, diffuse otitis they are more frequent in warm times. During this time there is an increase in the heat and humidity of the skin in that area, the skin becomes macerated and this facilitates the action of different germs when the protective barrier of the skin disappears. These mechanisms are increased in patients with dry skin (patients with almost no wax or with excessive cleaning), in patients with frequent baths in contaminated water and in patients with almost occlusive wax plugs, with which water is retained inside the ear.

3. Otitis Stockings, on the contrary, they are more frequent in autumn and winter, times in which the processes of upper respiratory tract are frequent that will favor the contamination by bacteria and that will produce a congestion of the ventilation duct of the ear (eustachian tube ). The latter will allow the retention of mucus in the middle ear and that it is overinfected by the different germs causing Otitis media.
Although this is more frequent in children and in cold weather, occasionally in summer they can occur due to sudden temperature changes when entering and leaving rooms set with air conditioning and in contrast to the temperature outside.


How to treat otitis in children?

As a general rule, in all types of otitis it is recommended to avoid the entry of water so as not to aggravate the process.
Treatment will vary from otitis externa to otitis media.
1. In external otitis, the treatment is topical, with antibiotic drops or ointments and, occasionally, if there is a large extension of the infection, oral antibiotics. In this type of otitis, local heat is discouraged, which, on the contrary, can favor infection.

2. In otitis media, the treatment is carried out with oral antibiotics and decongesting measures of the nasal cavity and the eustachian tube. In this type of infection the local heat can favor the minimal opening of the eardrum, initiating the spontaneous drainage of the infected material helping in the resolution of the infection. The antibiotic drops will be indicated to prevent that material they drain from contaminating the skin of the external auditory canal.

How to prevent otitis in children or avoid them?

External otitis can be prevented in patients who have a very dry skin avoiding scratching and avoiding excessive cleaning since a small wax content in the ear helps to maintain the defensive barrier against microorganisms.

Also, in patients who form wax plugs that are very occlusive, it is recommended that they go to a specialist to remove the cap before exposing themselves to the summer baths to avoid possible water retention.

In relation to otitis media, it is advised that before a catarrhal process of upper tracts that lasts more than 5 days with a lot of nasal congestion, the doctor should be visited to put on the appropriate treatment to help decongest the nose and Eustachian tubes. Nasal washes and a correct way of blowing nasal mucus are also advised, without the ugly gesture of sipping it, which favors the congestion of the middle ear.

Dr. Carlos Martín Oviedo. Specialist in Otolaryngology at La Milagrosa Hospital

Video: Treating Childhood Ear Infections | Children's National Health System


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