Did you know something as simple as bottle feeding your baby while they’re on their back can cause ear infections? Or sinuses aren’t fully developed until your late teens? Dr. Mancell, Prairie Lakes’ Ear, Nose, and Throat Physician, has answers for our questions related to pediatric ENT conditions.
Ear: Ear infections can be an irritating and sometimes repeating condition for many kids. What risks, symptoms, and treatment options should parents look for?
Dr. Mancell: Acute otitis media (AOM), an infection behind the ear drum, is the most common cause for pediatrician visits in the United States. AOM is frequently associated with an upper respiratory infection, leading to dysfunction of the Eustachian tube.
Risk factors: second hand smoke exposure, lack of breast feeding in the first 6 months of life, attendance of day care, bottle feeding while laying on the back, presence of siblings, premature birth, lower socioeconomic status, cleft palate, indigenous people, and genetic predisposition (ie. Down syndrome).
Symptoms: ear pain, irritability, fever, hearing loss, pus behind the ear drum, and drainage from the ear canal (if the eardrum ruptures).
Treatment: Your doctor will likely treat your child with antibiotics but the fluid behind the eardrum can persist for weeks to months even though the infection has resolved. If the infections continue to reoccur, pressure equalization tubes can help prevent further infections. Fortunately the incidence of these infections decrease as your child grows and are much less frequent after the age of 6 years.
Nose: I’ve heard a lot of friends and family talk about sinus conditions, can kids have sinus conditions too?
Dr. Mancell: In children some of the sinuses are present at birth but some do not begin to develop until the age of 6 or 7 years and are not fully developed until their late teens. Sinusitis is an inflammation of one or more of the paranasal sinuses (a group of air-filled cavities surrounding the nasal passages). When the sinuses become inflamed the lining within the sinuses can swell and effectively obstruct the natural drainage and aeration of the sinuses leading to infection.
Symptoms: fever, purulent nasal drainage, and nasal congestion that persist for more than 10 days.
Treatment: Pediatric sinusitis is often treated with antibiotics and a decongestant. With recurrent and chronic infections other treatment options may include: removal of the adenoids (which can harbor bacteria), sinus irritations, and surgery to open the natural drainage pathways. Nowadays newer, less invasive procedures are available to treat both kids and adults who suffer from sinusitis.
Throat: A lot of my friends had their tonsils removed as a kid. What should I know about tonsils and other throat conditions?
Dr. Mancell: The tonsils and adenoids are part of group of lymphoid tissue (similar to lymph nodes) located in the back of the nose and throat. They play a role in immune function but may become saturated with viruses and bacteria and eventually cause more of a problem than a benefit. Acute infections are most frequently caused by viruses. When caused by bacteria, the most common organism is streptococcus, hence the term "strep throat".
Symptoms: sore throat, fever, trouble swallowing, ear and neck pain, bad breath, and cough.
Treatment: Acute bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics but when the tonsils and adenoids become saturated these infections can become recurrent or chronic. When this occurs removing the tonsils and adenoids is often beneficial.
* For many ear, nose, and throat conditions, like ear infections, parents should take their child to their regular physician. When conditions become persistent, many parents take their child to an ear, nose, and throat physician like Dr. Mancell.
Prairie Lakes Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic
Reviewed by Dr. Jered Mancell, February 2023.