HOUSTON – This time of year, viral infections are as common as the changing weather. Pediatrician Albert Richert, Jr. said he's treated lots of young patients with runny noses, congestion and cough and said most colds resolve on their own, but sometimes an ear infection will develop as a complication.
"When you have a cold, you get swelling in the tissues of your sinuses and that swelling can basically block up the drain, block up the middle ear space, and fluid can accumulate in the middle ear space," Richert said.
When that fluid sits, it can become infected.
“That infection causes some pressure and some bulging on the ear drum, which can lead to pain," he said.
It can be hard for a parent to know whether or not a child has an ear infection.
Richert said if the symptoms develop right after a cold, it likely is an infection.
"Maybe a little low-grade fever in just the first day or so, and then after that, some runny nose and congestion for about a week," Richert said. "When it doesn't follow that progression, when they've been sick for two or three days and all of a sudden they're running fever, or they get worse in some way, or are suddenly a lot more fussy, that can be a sign that something's changed and oftentimes that's an ear infection."
Tylenol and Motrin can help ease the discomfort. Antibiotics are given after a diagnosis. If the ear infections become worse, that's when Richert said tubes are considered as a long term solution.
"The number of ear infections really isn't as important as the duration of the fluid behind the ear drum," he said. "When your middle ear space fills up with fluid, your ear drum can't move properly and it muffles the sound. Kids who have fluid in their middle space don't hear clearly, and so they don't learn to speak clearly."
Some signs to look for in your child:
- A fever above 102 degrees
- Tugging at the ear
- Increased irritability
- Crying when lying down