Feature: Acute middle ear infection in babies and children
Sleepless nights are quite common for most parents of young children. The reason is sometimes a middle ear infection bothering their child. It can be very unsettling when a child is in pain and crying in the middle of the night. Our article and fact sheet aim to help mothers and fathers better understand this condition and to let them know what can help against middle ear infection.
In our feature on hearing you will find information about hearing tests for newborns and babies, as well as hearing screening programmes. We also explain why our hearing gets worse as we get older. A separate fact sheet could help you to understand the results of hearing tests. And we have created an illustration to show the sound pressure levels of various everyday noises - from a vacuum cleaner to thunder.
Almost half of all people living in an industrialized country will be familiar with this phenomenon: There is a sudden ringing, buzzing, knocking or whistling sound in your ear. Sometimes these sounds last for months or years at a time. People who feel bothered by constant noises in their ears can read in our fact sheet about how to better cope with this problem and about whether there is a link between tinnitus and depression.
Middle ear infection will usually clear up by itself within a few days, with or without treatment. However, for babies under two years of age who have an infection in both ears, antibiotics can speed up recovery. Antibiotics could also help if the baby's ears are leaking fluid because of infection. more...
If all newborn babies had screening tests for hearing impairment, hearing problems could be diagnosed and treated earlier. This could improve early speech development in children who are born with hearing impairments. more...
Some ear drops, which are only available on prescription, seem to ease earache due to an inflammation of the external auditory canal very effectively. There is no evidence that disinfectant drops, which are available as over-the-counter-medications, are similarly effective. more...
Various ear drops can soften earwax and make it easier to remove. Yet home remedies like warmed olive oil could also work just as well or almost just as well. more...
Cognitive behavioral therapy can help people cope better with tinnitus and relieve accompanying depression symptoms. But it does not relieve the actual symptoms of tinnitus. more...
