Medical Expert: Repeat ear infections
 After repeated ear infections, this toddler has had grommets put in her ears. But now there's an infection. Dr Philippa Kaye looks at what might be the cause and suggests treatment.
Raisingkids member's problem
My 19-month-old daughter has had repeat ear infections since an early age but my own GP would not refer her to anyone. She was in hospital with chest infection and referred by the doctor there to a specialist who has put grommets in both ears. She had this done three weeks ago and is already on her second course of antibiotics with bad discharge from her ear.Iis this normal or can anything else be done to help her. She must have had 20 ear infections in her lifetime.
Medical Expert Dr Philippa's Advice
Grommets are tubes inserted into the eardrum to allow the fluid behind the eardrum to drain out. Normally, this fluid, produced by the middle ear (the area behind the eardrum) produces a thin fluid which is drained to the back of the throat by a tube called the Eustacian tube. Sometimes this fluid becomes very thick, such as after an infection and cannot be drained causing a condition called glue ear, which can cause hearing loss in children. Grommets are inserted for children who have had multiple ear infections or hearing loss due to glue ear.
Some children get discharge from their ears after grommet insertion. Oral antibiotics may not be the best treatment, I would go back to your GP and ask for antibiotic ear drops. Using ear drops means that the antibiotic is delivered directly where it is needed, into the ear.
Sometimes, the grommets themselves can become infected and need antibiotic treatment. In addition to this, occasionally they can get blocked and need to be replaced.
Alternatively, the discharge is not coming from behind the grommet but in the external ear canal. The external ear canal is the area from your outer ear up to your eardrum. This can get infected or develop a skin condition and cause itching and discharge, again this is treated with antibiotic drops. If this doesn’t work ask your GP to refer you back to the specialist for further help.
Medical and general health issues
Click here for the medical questions we've answered to date...
Ask Other Parents
Why not discuss this issue with other members? Click here for our Talk! boards.
Please note:
The medical and health-related information on this site is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. In the event of any physical or mental condition, seek the advice of a qualified doctor or other health professional without delay. Do not postpone medical treatment while awaiting a response from this site.
In an emergency always call 999 (UK only). |
