A child of 3 months has an earache what to do. Ear pain in a child

Why do children often get earaches? Children often have earaches. This is due to the special structure of children's ears and some anatomical and physiological features of the child.

Children have a shorter and wider (compared to adults) external auditory meatus and the Eustachian tube (the passage connecting the nasopharynx and the middle ear).

• • Children have more developed or adenoid vegetations. They can partially or completely block the opening of the Eustachian tube in the nasopharynx, which contributes to frequent inflammation of the Eustachian tube and middle ear.
  • Babies have shorter and narrower nasal passages. Small children don't know how to blow their nose.
  • Children under 4-5 years old do not have an immune system. Children are more likely than adults to suffer from ARVI, including a runny nose (or rhinitis). And rhinitis in children often leads to otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear).

As they grow, these problems are gradually solved. The ear grows, and with it the external auditory meatus and the Eustachian tube, and nasal passages. Adenoids undergo regression. (This is provided that the child does not get sick too often and does not abuse flour and sweets). The immune system is formed and the child is less likely to suffer from a runny nose.

The older the child, the less often his ears hurt. Most often, ear pain bothers children from 1 to 6 years old.

The kid is often unable to explain to an adult that his ears hurt.

How to understand that a child has an earache?

• If an ear hurts in a child under 1 year old, he becomes capricious, refusal to eat is possible, causeless bouts of crying and screaming during sleep may occur. While suckling, the baby may suddenly drop the nipple or bottle and scream.
• A kid from one to three years old is also not always able to explain to adults that his ear hurts. He can point to the cheek, to the teeth, to the neck. Such a baby also becomes capricious, eats worse.
• Parents of young children need to know that ear pain is often accompanied by a runny nose and fever.
• If you suspect that the baby has an earache, you can try to press the tragus (the protrusion in front of the auricle). If the ear hurts, the baby will cry, scream, grimace in pain, try to move your hand away.
• If the baby is capricious during wakefulness and does not allow you to touch your ears, you can try to do this during sleep.

When parents encounter the problem of ear pain for the first time, or when the pain occurs at night or on a day off, they are lost and do not know what to do. The family begins to panic.
In such a situation, it is very useful to know what can be done before the doctor's examination in order to save your child from ear pain.

What to do if a child has an earache?

Apply ear drops

For acute pain in the ear, drops are most suitable, which include not only an antibiotic, but also a local anesthetic. For example, otpax (contains lidocaine), otinum (contains a substance from the salicylates group that has a local anesthetic effect). Be sure to read the manual at what age is it allowed to use drops. Otipax is allowed from birth, and otinum in children of the first year of life is recommended to be used with caution.
Others may contain only an antibiotic, before use, you need to carefully study the instructions. If the composition does not contain a local anesthetic, ear pain cannot be quickly removed with ear drops.

Drops should not be dripped if the integrity of the eardrum is broken(leaked from ear)

How to put drops in the ear

• Ear drops should be kept in the refrigerator. But before use, they need to be slightly warmed up (hold in your hand or put in warm water for a few minutes).
• Before instillation of ear drops, the child should be laid on a healthy barrel so that the diseased ear is on top.
• Pull the auricle down and back.
• Drop 2 drops from the bottle into the ear.
• Make sure that the child remains in the same position for several minutes. And then insert a cotton swab into the ear and let the baby stand up.

Give your child pain medication

If there are no ear drops at home, if ear drops do not contain a local anesthetic, or if ear drops alone fail to relieve ear pain and save the baby from suffering, this can be achieved by giving the child: paracetamol, nurofen or nimulide. These medicines will allow you to relieve or reduce the pain in the ear for several hours and wait for the doctor's examination and his appointments.

Show the child to the doctor

This item is required for ear pain. It is best to show the child to the ENT (otorhinolaryngologist). Pain in the ear can be caused by acute purulent otitis media, which, without treatment, threatens to be complicated by a rupture of the eardrum, hearing loss, and even purulent meningitis and meningoencephalitis.

Personal experience

I have two children. The elder had already outgrown the period when his ears often hurt. For the youngest, this problem is still relevant. Quite often, a runny nose in him leads to an ear disease. But the temperature does not always rise.

My youngest son (he is already 5 years old) knows that if his ear hurts, you need to put drops in it. But he doesn’t like it terribly, so for now he can endure it and doesn’t tell me anything.
He has the most intense pain in his ears at night. At first, the son begins to fiddle in his sleep and I notice that he cannot lie on one side (if one ear hurts). and if both are ill, he can only sleep on his back. Then he starts crying in his sleep and thumping his feet on the crib.
Moreover, to my questions: what hurts you, he answers - nothing, continuing to sob. Then he falls asleep for a few minutes. At this moment, I gently press on the tragus of the "suspect" ear - this is where the cause of the roar is revealed. The son immediately wakes up and begins to roar.

In such situations, I always give him Nurofen syrup as an anesthetic and drip Otipax Otinum or other ear drops into his ear (we always have them in the medicine cabinet). And in the morning we go with him to an appointment with the ENT.

Now you know what to do if child has earache. Stay healthy!

Children's colds, SARS are accompanied by inflammation, covering different parts of the head. The most common reason that a child has an earache is an infection of the oropharynx, upper respiratory tract. It is necessary at the very beginning to alleviate the symptoms with an anti-inflammatory agent and a compress.

The Eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear and nasopharynx, is shorter in young children, located at a smaller angle. In addition, babies do not know how to sneeze and blow their nose properly. Therefore, the infection more easily gets from the nasopharynx to the middle ear. There is pain in the ear - otalgia - a typical sign of the inflammatory process.

If a normally calm baby behaves differently, is naughty, then parents should check the baby's ears. The reason for the change in behavior may be related to the onset of the inflammatory process. How do you know if a child has earache? It is necessary to pay attention to the complex of symptoms.

Signs of otitis media - inflammation of the ear:

1. sharp or aching pain;
2. discharge from the ear;
3. poor appetite;
4. dizziness;
5. sleep disorders;

With severe ear pain and high fever in the baby, you should call the pediatrician at home.

Otitis externa is manifested by swelling and redness of the skin of the auricle and auditory canal, the formation of boils. These signs are easy to notice and use them to determine the cause of the pain. The formation of pus behind the tympanic membrane in the cavity of the middle ear is accompanied by an increase in pressure. Therefore, the child's ear hurts more when the head is in a horizontal position, blood flow and swelling increase. The baby wakes up crying, stretches his hand to his head. After the release of pus from the ear canal, the discomfort subsides.

Causes of ear pain in a child (except otitis media):

• diseases of the teeth located close to the auditory canal;
• irritation from chlorinated water after swimming;
• complications of SARS, tonsillitis or sinusitis;
• foreign object in the ear canal;
• rupture of the eardrum.

Inflammation occurs when a foreign body enters the external auditory canal. Then the child's ear hurts more when moving his head, chewing, talking. If a foreign object is visible, then parents can try to remove it themselves. It is better to use tweezers with rounded "legs".

Home treatments and remedies

Before using any pharmacy drug or folk remedy for ear pain, you should consult a pediatrician, a pediatric otolaryngologist. It is important not to harm the health of the child by wrong actions.

A solution of boric acid in ethanol is used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Bury 1 drop of boric alcohol into the ear hole twice a day. Preliminary it is recommended to heat the bottle with the solution in your hand. Small gauze flagella are moistened with boric alcohol and inserted into the ear canal overnight. This tool is not used to treat children under one year old.

Painkillers and anti-inflammatory solutions can be instilled into the ears only in the absence of perforation of the eardrum.

Alternative treatment of ear pain in children:

1. Fill a cloth bag with dried chamomile flowers, lightly heat in the oven. Apply to the affected ear as a dry compress.
2. Brew 2 tbsp. l. chamomile 1 liter of boiling water. After 10–15 minutes of infusion, the child is offered to carefully inhale the healing fumes for 5–10 minutes.
3. Use as tea, gargle with earache against a cold, SARS, tonsillitis infusion prepared from 1 tbsp. l. flowers and a cup of boiling water.
4. Apply ice to the area above the eye for 5 to 10 minutes to relieve inflammation and pain in children over 5 years of age.

If the child has an earache and the baby is already 2 years old, then camphor oil can be used for treatment. Method of application: insertion of cotton wool moistened with oil into the ear canal. Do not use the remedy for an allergy in a child to camphor, damage to the skin of the ear canal and eardrum.

How to make a compress with camphor oil on a sore ear:

• the oil is heated in a water bath to body temperature;
• impregnate with oil a bandage or cotton cloth;
• placed around the ear without covering the ear hole;
• top covered with waxed paper and cotton;
• the compress is fixed with a bandage.

Unfortunately, not all mothers and fathers know what to do if a child has an earache and a temperature rises sharply. The task of parents is to provide first aid to the baby correctly and in a timely manner. If a child has pain in the ear due to a cold, SARS, then the nasal cavity should be cleared of mucus.

Wash the child's nose with saline or Miramistin liquid from a pharmacy. Older children can use Aqualor, equipped with a special spray nozzle. It is more convenient for a baby to rinse his nose with an aspirator or a disposable syringe without a needle. Nazivin is instilled into the nose, which helps with a runny nose and reduces swelling of the mucous membrane of the auditory tube.

First aid for ear pain and fever

In a situation where a child complains of earache and fever, they give antipyretics with paracetamol, ibuprofen: Panadol, Nurofen. These drugs, in addition to anti-inflammatory action, have an analgesic effect. Available in the form of syrup, suspension, soluble tablets and rectal suppositories.

If the ear hurts and the temperature in the baby rises, then the introduction of children's rectal suppositories with ibuprofen or paracetamol is preferable. A child who is 2-4 years old is given a syrup or suspension. Children over 3-5 years of age can take the tablets.

Antihistamines enhance the effect of Nurofen or Panadol. For babies under one year old, Fenistil or Zyrtec drops are more suitable. A child aged 3 years and older is given liquid funds Zodak, Erius. Dosages for children and adults are usually indicated in the instructions for the drug. Ear pain subsides after several days of treatment with an antihistamine and anti-inflammatory agent.

Helping a child with otitis externa

The auricle and ear canal direct sound to the eardrum and middle ear cavity. With otitis externa of a limited type, inflammation occurs only in the sebaceous hair follicle in the ear canal. With the diffuse nature of the disease, the infection affects the auricle and ear canal. Discomfort and pain are felt more strongly when turning the head, while eating, talking, coughing and sneezing.

Why does inflammation of the outer ear develop:

1. the sebaceous gland or hair follicle in the skin of the ear canal is damaged;
2. spreads to the ear area eczema or other skin disease;
3. there are complications of viral infections, including influenza;
4. the skin is injured due to improper cleaning of earwax;
5. water gets in when bathing a child, swimming in a lake, river;
6. mechanical damage;
7. reaction to an insect bite;
8. a foreign body enters;
9. chemical burn.

The doctor will clarify the cause of the pain after examining the child and obtaining the results of the tests. Parents can ask the pediatrician how to treat an inflammatory ear disease.

How to relieve pain from otitis externa in children:

1. Otinum, Otipax or Anauran ear drops are instilled with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
2. Apply anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial ointments Levomekol, Sofradex, Balsamic Liniment (according to Vishnevsky).
3. Antimicrobial drops Normax, Otofa, Candibiotic, Polydex, Sofradex, Tsipromed are instilled into the ear.
4. They give an antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic drug for oral administration (Naproxen, Nurofen, Acetaminophen).

The child is laid on its side and in this position the medicine is instilled into the ear.

With a purulent form of the disease, the ear hurts a lot. The child cannot chew and swallow, behaves restlessly. It is noticeable that the external auditory canal is reddened and swollen. The discharge of pus begins, a skin rash appears on the face and neck. Occasionally, inflammation spreads to the tissues of the jaw, to half of the face, or throughout the body.

What to do if the ears hurt in a child of 3 years:

• treat the auditory canal with hydrogen peroxide;
• clean the skin of the auricle from dissolved sulfur and pus;
• introduce cotton turunda with boric alcohol or sodium sulfacyl into the ear canal;
• pre-warm the bottle with the solution in your hand (15–20 minutes).

Levomekol ointment for otitis externa is placed on a cotton turunda in the child's ear all night. The procedure is performed daily for 1-1.5 weeks. To help with pain and inflammation, apply Vishnevsky ointment. Liniment is applied daily with a cotton swab and left for 3 hours. However, the child may not like this treatment due to the unpleasant smell of the product.

Ear pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drops

Anauran is a combination drug that has an antibacterial and analgesic effect. It is used for inflammation of the outer and middle ear in children older than 12 months.

Otipax - ear drops with phenazone and lidocaine. The tool has an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect, it is used to treat children from birth. Contraindication - perforated eardrum.

Otinum - means for instillation into the ears. It quickly has an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. Apply no longer than 10 days.

Candibiotic - drops for ear pain and inflammation with the antibacterial substance chloramphenicol and anesthetic lidocaine. An anti-inflammatory and analgesic drug is allowed to be used to treat children over 6 years of age.

Pain with purulent otitis media

The development of an ear disease is often associated with the spread of infection from the nasopharynx. Provoke inflammation runny nose, adenoids, tonsillitis. The child has acute pain in the ear, the temperature rises to 37.3 ° C and above.

How to treat purulent otitis media:

1. Relieve fever and inflammation with ibuprofen syrup or suspension.
2. A course of an antibiotic of the cephalosporin group: Ceftriaxone or Cefuroxime.
3. Washing the nose with saline and instillation of Nazivin.
4. Instillation into the ears means Nomax or Tsipromed.

If a child has an earache for several days and does not go away after treatment at home, then the baby should be shown to a pediatrician or ENT doctor. The specialist selects the dosage of drugs, taking into account the age of the small patient and the cause of the disease. The doctor prescribes antibiotics to the child after clarifying the cause of the disease. Such drugs do not act on a viral and fungal infection, but quickly help with bacterial otitis media.

Complications of ear diseases

Prolonged ear pain can lead to mastoiditis, abscess, meningitis, and hearing loss. Complications develop with inadequate and untimely treatment of otitis, sinusitis, chronic rhinitis. With mastoiditis, the mastoid process of the temporal bone behind the ear becomes inflamed. There is pain and swelling in the ear region, symptoms of general intoxication are observed, the temperature rises to 39 ° C.

Almost every child will experience an ear infection at least once in their life. These infections are among the most common childhood illnesses. The risky period is not only the cold season, but also summer. Children suffer from pain, swelling and fever. The disease can occur in a child of different ages - at 1 year, 2 years and older than 3 years. The problem is the situation when the ear ailment affects the smallest age (up to 1-2 years), whose representatives cannot clearly explain their condition. What to do if your child succumbed to the disease? How to understand how a child's ear hurts and check if there is an infection?

Middle ear infections are among the most common infectious diseases in children. About 75% of children under the age of 1-2 years suffer an ear infection at least once or twice in their lives.

Children who become ill before reaching 1-2 years of age are more likely to suffer from recurrent infections, often becoming chronic. Ear infections include various inflammatory processes, which, according to symptoms, severity and duration, can be divided into several categories:

• sharp,
• chronic,
• recurrent,
• inflammation accompanied by discharge.

Otitis media, especially in children under 1 year of age, is not necessarily visible at first glance. The disease is sometimes not determined even by a doctor, not having suspicions about this diagnosis. This, in most cases, applies to children under the age of 2 months. In such young children, inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, runny nose and. On the other hand, a considerable percentage of children do not show these symptoms, and even a blood test does not determine the inflammation.

Sudden attacks of pain at night

Almost every parent of a small child has experienced a situation where the baby had an earache.

When child has earache, he rubs it with his hand and whimpers unhappily, not understanding what is happening. Often the baby wakes up in pain at night and cannot sleep. He becomes restless, cries and does not allow to touch his ear. This is a signal that the child has an infection that manifests itself in pain. Fever may, but should not, accompany inflammation. Sometimes there is vomiting or diarrhea. Parents can give their child age-appropriate pain and fever medicines and call an ambulance. The doctor will most likely refer the child to an otolaryngologist.

Symptoms of otitis media and its complications include:

In the case of recurrent otitis media, vaccination, surgical incision of the tympanic membrane with insertion of a sleeve (ventilation tube), removal of the adenoids, or surgery of the temporal bone may be considered.

The child's ear is a vulnerable place, and usually it gets sick suddenly and at the wrong time. On vacation, after swimming in the sea or in the river, in the country, on weekends when clinics are closed. Often, acute pain begins at night. The main thing is not to panic, says the well-known pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky. There is an explanation for everything, and first aid for earache is not a very difficult task.

Why does my ear hurt

There can be many reasons. This is an insect that got into the ear canal, and a small foreign object, for example, a small part from a toy, and water that got into the ear while swimming in nature. The cause of acute pain can be a sulfur plug or an inflammatory process in the hearing organs., which can start with a cold or a viral infection.

The behavior of a child with ear pain will depend on age. Infants cannot convey their suffering to their parents in words, they will scream piercingly, and if you put them on the side with which the diseased organ is located, the baby will begin to calm down.

Children between the ages of one and three can already show what is bothering them, but the pain is so severe that they cannot focus on it. They will cry and rub the big ear with their hand. If you notice that the baby is naughty, refuses to eat, sleeps poorly and scratches his ear, these are sure signs of incipient inflammation in the hearing organs.

After three years, babies are able to explain to mom and dad where and what hurts them, and parents should not experience difficulties with diagnosis.

Doctor Komarovsky about ear pain

Evgeny Komarovsky considers otitis media to be the most common cause of acute ear pain. Moreover, one of the three sections of the ear can become inflamed - the outer, middle or inner.

The video release of Dr. Komarovsky's program on children's otitis can be viewed below.

If the outer ear is inflamed, it is perfectly visible to the naked eye, there is no acute pain, and it is quite simple to help the child. Otitis media, as the name suggests, is an inflammation of the middle ear, the area on the other side of the eardrum. This disease causes severe pain. It is this diagnosis that doctors make in most cases to children who suddenly began to shoot and hurt in the ear.

Otitis of the inner ear, or as it is also called “labyrinthitis” by doctors, is the most serious of the variations of ear inflammation. Fortunately, such otitis does not occur often. Komarovsky argues that internal inflammation rarely occurs as an independent disease, usually this condition is the result of untreated otitis media or its complications with improper treatment or the complete absence of it. Also, labyrinthitis can be a consequence of a severe infectious disease.

In the middle ear, which inflames in most cases and gives a lot of discomfort to children of all ages, there is a special space, the so-called tympanic cavity, in which the auditory ossicles are located. It is no problem to receive sound vibrations and transmit them further - to the inner section, the middle one can only when the pressure in this cavity is at the same level as atmospheric.

This level is “monitored” by the Eustachian tube, which performs a special mission. It connects the cavity with the pharynx. When the child swallows, this tube opens and allows air to enter, the pressure is maintained at a normal level, and the ear is ventilated.

When pressure changes, otitis occurs. An imbalance within the tympanic cavity occurs when a child dives into water, but this is not the most common cause. More often, the patency of the connecting Eustachian tube is broken, and the pressure can no longer be maintained at the same level with atmospheric pressure. This happens with inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx, for example, with a cold or a viral infection.

Children often sniffle, because they cry more often, and also with a runny nose, if part of the mucus from the nose penetrates the nasopharynx, and from there into the Eustachian tube. And this also causes the development of otitis media.

As soon as the pressure in the cavity changes in the negative direction, the cells that form the basis of the cavity begin to produce a specific fluid. The child has severe pain. In most cases, hearing loss is reversible. If urgent measures are not taken, after two or three days the inflammation becomes purulent, sometimes under pressure the eardrum does not withstand and breaks, and the pus begins to flow out.

It is much more difficult, according to Komarovsky, to determine otitis media in an infant. Unreasonable crying, restless behavior, sleep disturbance can cause suspicion in parents. But you can confirm the guess with the help of simple manipulation.

It is necessary to slightly press on the tragus (a small protrusion in front of the auricle). If the baby is tormented by otitis media, then such pressing will repeatedly increase the pain and the baby will go into a heart-rending roar. If the child does not change behavior when pressed, it is necessary to look for the cause of his anxiety not in the ears, but in something else.

If the pain in the child's ear is accompanied by a symptom such as the appearance of a lump behind the ear, which hurts when pressed, a more thorough examination and additional diagnosis will be needed, as this may be a sign of mumps, rubella and other acute infectious diseases.

Treatment

Yevgeny Komarovsky tells parents in detail about the processes that occur in the child's ear, not at all so that moms and dads can practice medical wisdom to their heart's content. Only a doctor should make a diagnosis for ear pain! The specialist will carefully examine the condition of the eardrum and find out all the necessary information about its integrity or perforation (violation), the degree of otitis media, its type and the presence of a purulent or catarrhal form. All these factors will be decisive in the appointment of drugs for treatment and determine the duration of the course of therapy.

Komarovsky does not recommend treating otitis media with folk remedies, this can lead to serious complications - complete hearing loss. And this is not the worst consequence. Worse if purulent meningitis sets in.

In the standard set of medicines for otitis, Evgeny Olegovich recommends that you definitely include vasoconstrictor drops in the nose. They are quite effective not only for a runny nose, but also help relieve swelling in the area of ​​the Eustachian tube. The main thing, reminds a well-known pediatrician, is not to forget that such drops are highly addictive, and therefore they cannot be used for more than three days.

Such nasal instillation should precede any manipulation of the child's ears, such as topical treatment. From drops in the ears, Yevgeny Komarovsky advises antiseptics that will help to quickly relieve inflammation. It may be the good old boric alcohol, which has been tested by many generations, but it’s better if you take more modern drugs, since there are now several dozen items in any pharmacy to choose from. Komarovsky considers drops with a pronounced analgesic effect to be a good choice, they allow you to help the baby faster. It can be Otinum or Otipax, as well as Sofradex and many others.

Usually, says Komarovsky, in the difficult task of treating otitis media, one cannot do without antibiotics. Optimum are those means that effectively destroy the causative agent of the disease, and at the same time get into the cavity well. These drugs include Amoxicillin.

The case when a child complains of pain in the ears is far from uncommon, and few parents can say that this problem is unfamiliar to them. Ear pain, like toothache, is unbearable, it deprives the child of sleep, makes him restless, capricious. According to statistics, about 74% of children under the age of 8 suffer from ear pain, the causes of which can be both infectious and non-infectious. The culprit of ear pain in a child under 3 years old often becomes the anatomical and physiological structure of the nasopharynx and Eustachian tubes, which in children are at the same level as the nasopharynx. This structure of the child's nasopharynx allows fluid or microbes to easily penetrate into its mucosa and form inflammatory processes. As the child grows older, the Eustachian tube narrows and lengthens, this does not allow fluid or germs to easily penetrate inside. Therefore, the risk of developing ear diseases decreases every year.

How to recognize ear pain in a child?

Unlike a large child, who can communicate his pain, a small child expresses pain through his behavior. Therefore, if parents notice that their baby turns his head a lot, is naughty, cries, refuses to eat, holds on to his ears, his ears may hurt. In addition, if the ear pain is caused by an infection, the child's body temperature rises. In more severe cases, purulent discharge from the ears is noted.

Very often in young children, ear diseases have a latent course. You can determine whether a child's ears hurt by pressing on the protrusion near the auricle (tragus). If the ear does not hurt, then the child will not react in any way, then the cause of the ailments must be sought elsewhere.

Ear pain is one of the symptoms that indicates the presence of disorders. Therefore, parents should not self-medicate, or let this matter take its course. If a child complains of ear pain, you should immediately consult a doctor - an otolaryngologist, who, after examining the child, will be able to identify the cause, make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

Causes of ear pain in a child

Ear pain in a child is directly related to inflammatory processes in the ear, which manifest themselves during acute or chronic diseases, such as tonsillitis, bronchitis, sinusitis,. Also, inflammation of the ear can manifest itself as a complication after previous diseases. Ear pain often indicates the following disorders or diseases:

Ear pain symptoms

Ear pain can be of different intensity: acute, throbbing, aching, stabbing. It can get worse at night, when coughing or sneezing. In addition to pain, you may experience:

1. elevated body temperature up to 39 degrees;
2. sudden cry of the child, crying, anxiety, refuses to eat;
3. the child is holding on to the ear;
4. the child is naughty, does not sleep well, constantly rubs his head against the pillow.

In more severe cases, greenish or yellow discharge from the ear may be noted, this indicates a perforation of the eardrum.

How to help a child with ear pain?

It is almost impossible to endure ear pain, so the first thing parents should do is help the baby and reduce his suffering. The only and correct way out is to see a doctor at any time of the day. Incorrectly indicated assistance can lead to various complications, up to complete or partial hearing loss.

What to do if the ear pain in the child appeared at night and there is no way to see a doctor? To endure until the morning will not work, because a sharp pain in the ear causes severe suffering to the baby. Some parents instill boric alcohol to reduce pain, this is wrong. If a child has a damaged eardrum, then the use of alcohol or other alcohol-based ear drops can lead to a complication.

An emergency aid for acute pain in the ear will be a warming compress of water and alcohol at a ratio of 1: 1. Before making a compress, you need to treat the skin around the ear with petroleum jelly or alcohol. An alcohol compress should be placed so that the auricle and ear canal are open, for this you can cut a small hole. Keep the compress for no more than one hour, then apply a dry piece of cotton wool and wrap the child with a warm scarf. Ear pain in a child will subside for a few hours, and in the morning be sure to see a doctor.

It should be noted that a warming compress should not be applied if the child has a high body temperature, or if there is purulent discharge from the ears.

Treatment of ear pain in a child

After contacting a specialist in the field of otolaryngology, the doctor will examine the child, collect an anamnesis from the words of the mother, make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment. Usually, in the presence of an inflammatory process, the following drugs are prescribed to the child:

1. Pain-relieving ear drops- have anti-inflammatory, analgesic effects: Otipax, Otizol, Otinum. After their application, the child is recommended to lie down for 15 minutes on the opposite side to the sore ear.
2. Anti-inflammatory drugs- relieve inflammation, reduce pain, have antipyretic properties: Paracetamol, Panadol, Nurofen.
3. Local dry heat.
4. Warm compresses.
5. Vasoconstrictor nasal drops- improve swelling of mucus, prevent its accumulation in the auditory passage: Nazivin, Naphthyzin, Sanorin, Tizin.

In the presence of an infection, or purulent discharge from the ear, the doctor prescribes antibiotic therapy. The course of treatment and doses of drugs should be prescribed to the child in accordance with age, body weight.