Question
My baby has otitis externa. How should it be treated? Will it affect their hearing in the future?
Answer
Baby otitis externa typically presents with itching and pain in the ear, with severe cases potentially resulting in purulent discharge. Chronic cases may involve itching, minimal discharge, thickening, cracking, and desquamation of the external auditory canal skin, with secretion accumulation that could even lead to narrowing of the external auditory canal. Examination may reveal tenderness upon pulling the auricle and pressing the tragus, with diffuse redness and swelling of the external auditory canal skin. Secretions may accumulate on the walls of the external auditory canal, causing the canal to narrow, and lymph nodes around the ear may become swollen. Treatment may include taking a small amount of symptomatic anti-inflammatory medication, and in necessary cases, administering antibiotics and painkillers. Alternatively, regional heat therapy, physiotherapy, or procaine block treatment may be considered.