Ear Infection

Soon­er or lat­er most chil­dren get an ear infec­tion. Ear infec­tions can be caused by bac­te­ria or virus­es, and com­mon­ly occur after a cold, sore throat or the flu. Cold air, water and wax in the ear DO NOT cause ear infec­tions. Symp­toms may include: pain, espe­cial­ly when lying down; fever, hear­ing loss or dis­charge, if the eardrum has ruptured.

If you have con­cerns that your child may have an ear infec­tion, prop­er diag­no­sis requires the doc­tor to look into the ear with an oto­scope. After diag­no­sis, treat­ment usu­al­ly requires antibi­otics for five to 10 days. Pay atten­tion for any signs of com­pli­ca­tions. Call the office if fever or pain lasts more than a few days, the pain gets worse, he or she devel­ops a stiff neck, if you notice drainage from the ear, your child devel­ops a rash (espe­cial­ly hives), he or she is unable to take their med­ica­tion because of vom­it­ing, etc. Some­times a fol­low-up vis­it is need­ed to ensure the infec­tion has com­plete­ly resolves.