Earache in children, could be a serious symptom

Manama

Do not underestimate your child's complains about earaches and hearing loss, a leading ENT expert here has warned parents and guardians.

 The reason behind earaches in children could be due to a short-term illness or something more serious, said Ears, Nose and Throat Expert and Royal Bahrain hospital Consultant Dr. Shalabh Sharma.

 He said there are commonly two types of earaches in children. While the first type may cure itself without any further complications, the other one is more serious. He stressed that parents may not be able to distinguish between the two types of pain and so it is important to consult a medical expert.

 "If the child has developed ear pain, he may have an ear infection. This could be because of a eustachian tube blockage. When the tube is blocked, fluid fills the middle ear and the child will have a certain amount of hearing loss. As a result, the children may remain with a 25 pc to 30 pc hearing loss even after the pain subsides. This is why there should be regular screening programmes for hearing loss for children in schools, it must be detected through screening because the children as well as the parents may neglect it," he said.

 "Even when the children do complain about the earache and hearing loss, the parents may neglect it thinking it is only be because of a cold. What they do not realize is that if the child has a 25-decibel hearing loss, his language development, hearing, speech develop, and schooling gets affected. This moderate hearing loss will lead to a permanent deficit in his hearing and speech development," he further added.

 He added that another reason for hearing loss in children is because of earwax. "It will only lead to hearing loss if a large quantity of wax is completely blocking the ear. Wax can only cause a few decibels of hearing loss," he concluded.