Is eardrum perforation in children a concern?

According to research, the rate of tympanic perforation in children is often higher than in adults. Therefore, as a parent, you need to pay close attention to care for your child's ears.

The health of children is always the top concern of parents. Recently, the story of a 2-year-old girl in China with a perforation of her eardrum due to her mother's inattentiveness when taking earwax has raised warnings about mistakes in caring for her child's ears. To better understand how to clean the ears for babies as well as how to detect the eardrum in children, let's follow up with aFamilyToday Health to follow the sharing below.

Perforation of the eardrum in children

The eardrum is the thin layer that separates the outer and middle ear. The eardrum is oval in shape, slightly convex, and at an angle of 30 degrees from the ear canal. In children, the eardrum is usually thinner than an adult, but over time, the eardrum becomes thicker and more resilient.

The function of the eardrum is to receive sound waves from the outside to create vibrations and then transmit it to the sensory cells in the inner ear so that we can hear. Therefore, if the eardrum is punctured, the eardrum's ability to vibrate decreases, resulting in temporary hearing loss. If left untreated, this condition can become serious and cause many dangerous complications.  

Causes of perforated eardrums in children

The most common reason for perforation of the eardrum in children is an ear infection . This causes pus to build up behind the eardrum, increasing pressure on the eardrum, causing it to stretch, leading to tearing. In addition, there are some other common causes such as:

Direct injury: Due to being stabbed in the ear by a foreign object, the insect entering the ear causes injury, being careless while taking the earwax so that the tool will pierce the eardrum

Indirect Injury: Due to excessive pressure on the eardrum (too loud sound), it occurs when someone slaps (slaps) the ear or dives too deep in the water.  

How do I know if my baby has a ruptured eardrum?

If your child's eardrum is having problems, you may find that your child's hearing is significantly reduced or he may not even hear you calling. In addition, there are some other symptoms that you should be aware of such as:

Your baby's ears are filled with pus or bleeding

Your baby's ear aches from mild to severe, and then the pain is suddenly reduced

The baby was fussy, tired, or put his hand in the ear with a punctured eardrum 

If the cause of the eardrum is due to an ear infection , your child will have symptoms such as fever, pain in the ear, tinnitus, and hearing loss.

How to diagnose eardrum perforation in children

If you notice that your child has the above symptoms, you should seek immediate medical attention. To make a diagnosis, your doctor looks at your child's ear canal with an instrument called an ear canal and determines the condition of the eardrum. In addition, the doctor may also take a sample of the fluid flowing from the child's ear to check. In addition, you may also be offered some tests to check your hearing.

Treatments for perforated eardrums in children

Torn eardrums usually heal in 3 months, so there is no need for special treatment. However, if the perforation of the eardrum is caused by an infection, the doctor will give the child antibiotics to completely treat the condition. In the event that the lacerations do not heal on their own or recur repeatedly, the doctor will prescribe procedures to repair the eardrum.

According to a report from Stanford University School of Medicine (USA), in general, cases of tympanic membrane perforation in children, if treated promptly, will recover very quickly, about 68% heal within 1 month and 94% in 3 month.

If left untreated, what complications can a perforation of the eardrum in children cause your baby to experience?

If not treated promptly and properly, your baby can lose his or her hearing permanently. In addition, the improper treatment can also lead to chronic inflammation of the middle ear with cholesteatoma (a mass of tissue that has the property of growth, erosion, destruction of components of the ear and neighboring structures). .

Not only that, this disease can cause more serious complications because the inflammatory foci invades the surrounding areas such as meningitis , brain abscess, lateral sinusitis, facial paralysis ... So if in doubt. For a child with a perforation of the eardrum, the most important thing to do is to bring the child immediately to the medical facility so that the ENT specialists can examine, diagnose, and treat promptly.

How to help a child with a perforation of the eardrum quickly recover?

Keep children's ears always dry during the treatment. You should limit your child's swimming.

Avoid letting your child blow their nose vigorously until the eardrum tear has healed.

Protect children's ears with simple and safe measures

Many parents think that getting earwax regularly will help kids' ears be clean and less sick. However, in fact, regular earwax removal is not necessary because most of the time, earwax will escape on its own.

In addition, earwax is very helpful in preventing dirt, moistening, and lubricating the ear canal and helps prevent ear infections. However, if the earwax closes too much and makes the child uncomfortable, you can clean the ear and remove the earwax in the following ways:

Combine ear hygiene for the baby during the bath because at this time baby's ears are already wet. When cleaning, use a soft cloth or cotton swab soaked in warm water and gently wipe the area of ​​your ear, focusing on the areas with the folds.

To get earwax for your child, you can buy drops from a pharmacy, place a few drops in the ear and lay the child on his side to allow the wax to drain.

If the earwax closes too hard, do not use a hard object to remove it. Soften earwax by placing a few drops of saline in your child's ear, waiting for the wax to soften before taking it. In case the earwax is too deep, take your child to a specialist for safe and proper cleaning.

Avoid swabbing your baby's ears with a cotton swab as this can push the wax deeper. In addition, you should also avoid using objects such as hairpins, sharp objects to get your baby's earwax because this is easy to cause scratches, infections and puncturing the baby's eardrum.

When cleaning your child's ears, you need to be very focused, not play and play, do not let your baby hold a cotton swab or tools to remove earwax. In addition, you should only take the wet sponge outside, absolutely do not put the tool into the child's ears. 

If you notice that your baby has ear bleeding, you should take him or her to a doctor for immediate check up. Depending on the severity of the injury, your doctor will guide you on appropriate treatment.

Hopefully, with the above sharing, you know how to take care of your baby's ears properly so that your baby has not only clean but also healthy ears.