What Makes Children More Susceptible to Ear Infections?

When your child is tugging at their ear or seems more irritable than usual, it may be the start of an ear infection. Unfortunately, this is a common but treatable infection, especially in young kids.

At American Pediatrics, our highly skilled pediatrics team offers in-office services to diagnose and treat ear infections. We customize a care plan using medications and other strategies to quickly relieve your child’s discomfort and protect their ear health and hearing.

What to know about pediatric ear infections

A pediatric ear infection develops in your child’s middle ear when fluid, bacteria, or viruses build up behind the eardrum. This build-up occurs when a blockage in your child’s eustachian tubes, which help drain fluids away from the middle ear and into the sinus cavity.

Several issues can cause a blockage in the eustachian tubes, including:

• Excess mucus
• Sinus inflammation
• Swollen adenoids
• Air pressure changes

Your child may also develop ear infections if they have allergies or develop an upper respiratory infection.

Reasons why kids get more ear infections than adults

While anyone can get an ear infection regardless of age, children are at a higher risk for the condition for two reasons.

Small eustachian tubes

Children have smaller, narrower eustachian tubes than adults. Kids’ tubes are also in a horizontal position, so fluids may not drain out of the ear as efficiently as when they’re older.

Weaker immune system

Children aren’t born with a fully functional immune system. Their immune system response grows stronger as they grow, but young kids may be more susceptible to infections and other illnesses until it does.

Infants and toddlers may be unable to express the discomfort they feel from an infection. For this reason, you should watch your child closely for signs like:

• Ear pulling
• Fever
• Crying
• Sleep disruptions

Older children may complain of ear pain, have difficulties hearing, or lose their balance during activities.

Schedule a diagnostic evaluation at American Pediatrics if your child has any of these symptoms, especially if you notice blood or other discharge from their ears.

Discharge of blood or other fluid and a high fever requires immediate medical attention. We offer same-day sick visits for children with persistent ear pain and other ear infection symptoms.

Pediatric ear infection treatment options

Many pediatric ear infections go away on their own without medical intervention. Typically, if your child isn’t in pain or experiencing disruptive changes in their behavior, our team can recommend home strategies and over-the-counter medications to keep them comfortable.

If your child has a severe infection, they may need prescription antibiotics. Antibiotics are used sparingly because bacteria can become resistant to the medications. This can cause issues in the treatment of future infections.

Our team also evaluates your child’s overall ear health. If there is a concern about recurrent infections, we can discuss the possibility of surgery to place tubes in your child’s ears to support proper fluid drainage. Some children also need enlarged adenoids removed to prevent additional ear infections.

Call the American Pediatrics office near you to schedule a diagnostic evaluation for symptoms of a pediatric ear infection, or book an appointment for your child online today.