Childhood Ear Infections

Many young children have chronic ear infections. Daycare attendance, other young siblings at home and exposure to tobacco smoke are some of the potential causes. Young children with three or more ear infections in a year should be seen by a specialist.

A tympanostomy, or placement of tubes in the ears, is one of the most common treatments. Once the tubes are placed, the inner ear can drain as needed and should require fewer courses of antibiotics. As the child outgrows the need for the tubes, they fall out and the frequency of infections naturally drops off.

Complications from chronic ear infections include perforation of the tympanic membrane, cholesteatoma, cholesterol granuloma, mastoiditis and erosion of the inner ear’s structures. To treat or prevent these conditions, a specialist should be seen to perform an evaluation.