Before they are 3 years of age, many children have at least one ear infection, also called otitis media. Next to colds, otitis media is the most common illness in children 5 months to 5 years old. Children with colds, allergies, hay fever or allergic rhinitis, or who use a pacifier, are at greater risk for ear infections.
“You might suspect an ear infection when your child displays one or more of the following symptoms: pulling on the ear, irritability, loss of appetite, feeling pain or pressure in the ear, discharge of pus or fluid from the ear, dizziness or loss of balance, difficulty sleeping, fever and hearing loss,” says Dr. Marcelle Sulek, physician at Texas Children’s Otolaryngology Clinic and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine.
Ear infections can be hard to diagnose, as the blockage of uninfected fluid in the middle ear can mimic an ear infection’s symptoms. Your pediatrician can help diagnose your child’s ear infection by examining the ear. Tests used to diagnose ear infections are a tympanogram and a tone-frequency test.
Once otitis media appears, recurring ear infections (defined as three or more within a six-month period) can be difficult to curtail. A child with recurring ear infections may develop complications and more serious illnesses.
Ear tube surgery may be the best option for 2- to 5- year-olds who have recurring ear infections that don’t respond to antibiotics or middle ear fluid that remains for more than four months.
One such child is Taylor, who developed his first ear infection when he was 3 months old. At 18 months, he developed a severe ear infection accompanied by a rash and high fever. The family’s pediatrician treated him with antibiotics, but Taylor remained sick for several weeks with a runny nose and cough.
Seeking a specialist’s opinion, Kelly and Steve, Taylor’s mother and father, took him to Dr. Sulek at Texas Children’s Otolaryngology clinic. After finding fluid in his ears and obtaining a history of recurring ear infections, Dr. Sulek suggested they consider ear tube surgery.
Taylor’s parents tried one more time to treat him using a new allergy medication, until one morning when he woke up with a fever of 104 degrees. Kelly took him to the doctor immediately.
“Taylor was so sick, it was scary,” says Kelly. “When we found out that he had another ear infection, Steve and I made the decision to go ahead with getting the ear tubes as soon as possible.”
One week later, Dr. Sulek performed ear tube placement surgery on both of Taylor’s ears, an 8-minute procedure. After the built-up fluid drained for a couple of days, Taylor was fine. Nearing his 6-month checkup, the 2-year-old is happy and healthy, with no ear infections since the surgery.
“Looking back, I’m so grateful to Texas Children’s and Dr. Sulek for suggesting ear tube surgery for Taylor,” Kelly said. “It was a very simple procedure that turned out to be the best option to help our child.”
