Otitis Media Part 2

Treatment
80% of Acute otitis media cases get cured in three days without treatment. Usually perforated ear drum heals itself. Antibiotics are used for symptoms which are short term. However it is not yet confirmed whether they help in reducing complications or clear up otitis media. It can b recommended if the infection worsens after 3-2 days. Antibiotics with long term benefits can be used to prevent recurrent or long term oitis media but these may have certain side effects.
Painkillers like ibuprofen or paracetamol can be consumed to control otitis media symptoms. Children below 16 years of age shouldn’t be given Aspirin. To reduce the swelling of mucous membrane at the back of throat and in nose nasal drops containing antihistamines or decongestants can be given. Eustachian tubes are cleared by this and also let the mucus out from middle ear. However it is not yet proved as an effective treatment for otitis media. Antibiotic drug drops can help to reduce the pus amount flowing from the ear in adults with chronic otitis media. In case of severe or recurrent otitis media in children, small tubes can be inserted to drain the fluid through eardrum. These tubes are called as tympanostomy or grommets tubes, however these are seldom recommended as there are chances of they themselves get blocked or infected. The similar kind of risk is involved in operatiion called myringotomy, wherein a tiny hole is made to flush the fluids inside the eardrum, however this doesn’t prevent any future infections. If Tonsils and adenoids are blocking the Eustachian tube entrance, they can be removed.
Complications
Chronic suppurative otitis media
Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) occurs seldom and affects about 1% of people in UK. CSOM can be diagnosed if you have acute ear infection along with discharge from ear which continues for two weeks. You can also experience loss of hearing in case your eardrum gets perforated, this can be cured after the infection is gone and perforation gets healed. In certain cases if CSOM is untreated, there is chance for the infection to spread to parts of head from your ear causing:
temporary numbing of the face
swelling of a part of the brain called the meninges (meningitis)
local bone inflammation (mastoiditis)
CSOM is not a contagious infection. You need to refer a ENT specialist to treat CSOM. An ENT specialist can provide the required antibiotics and clean the ear of any infection. To make sure you are not infected with any infection in future you need to keep your ear dry and precautions like wearing ear plugs while swimming or a shower cap while taking shower is highly recommended.

Prevention
There are no specific measures available to prevent otitis media. Acute ear infection can be treated quickly, this should be followed by examination of ear to check if the infection is cured completely. With such practice there is no chance of recurring infection to develop. Some studies have suggested that by taking chewing gum with xylitol decreases the number of children who develop acute otitis media. Xylitol can be used instead of sugar as a sweetener, this is found in vegetables, fruits and some trees. It stops bacterial growth in your mouth. Chewing gum with xylitol is redaily available in most of the shops. In case your children get ear infection often xylitol helps to prevent from ant further episodes.