Chronic Otitis Media In Children

2023 Author: Wallace Forman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 18:19

A chronic otitis media usually develops from an acute otitis media. This leads to a discharge of fluid from the ear over a period of two to three months. Usually there are no symptoms or signs of acute infection. A reliable diagnosis is often difficult.

Chronic otitis media is rare in school-age children.

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Graphic representation of the ear canal © Alila

A chronic otitis media arises in the majority of cases as a consequence of an acute otitis media. In those affected, the fluid in the tympanic cavity (Cavum tympani) is not absorbed by the surrounding tissue within a few weeks as is usual. The mucous membrane of the tympanic membrane is converted into a mucus-forming epithelium that produces glue-like secretion ("glue ear").

Like acute otitis media, chronic otitis media can also heal on its own.

How is the diagnosis made?

Diagnosing chronic otitis media with an otoscope is often difficult because the eardrum can appear deceptively normal. A reliable diagnosis - as with acute otitis media - is often only possible using special devices such as a tympanometer.

How is otitis media treated?

If a child is diagnosed with an effusion in the middle ear with no other symptoms and the eardrum appears normal, antibiotic treatment does not need to be instituted, even if the child has other symptoms of an acute respiratory infection.

Whom can I ask?

Uncomplicated cases can be treated by doctors specializing in general medicine or pediatric and adolescent medicine. The child should be referred to an ENT doctor for a tube to be inserted at the latest if the tympanic effusion persists for more than three months. The purpose of this is a drainage for medium to long-term ventilation of the middle ear. In older children, attempts can be made to equalize pressure in the middle ear using a nasal balloon.