Question
The baby has yellow earwax, with more in one ear than the other. It seems that there has been a decrease in hearing recently. Was water possibly entered into the ear during a bath? After the full month, there was a respiratory infection, with body temperature hovering around 37.1 to 37.5 degrees Celsius. Hearing loss was noticed over the past three days, and today there is yellow material inside the ear.
Answer
Middle ear infection refers to inflammation of the middle ear and is one of the common causes of ear pain in children, particularly prevalent among those under 8 years old. It often occurs as a complication of common cold or throat infections, which are upper respiratory infections. Ear pain is a primary symptom of middle ear infection, but infants cannot describe pain, so initially, there may only be fever and vomiting. Infants have shorter, wider, and straighter eustachian tubes that are horizontally positioned, along with weaker resistance, making them prone to acute rhinitis, tonsillitis, and other upper respiratory infections. Certain infectious diseases such as measles, scarlet fever, and influenza can increase nasopharyngeal secretions or lead to bacteria entering the middle ear through vomiting, coughing, or forceful blowing of the nose, causing infection. Additionally, digging into a baby’s ears may damage the outer ear canal mucosa or eardrum, leading to infection spreading to the middle ear. If a child experiences ear pain, parents can gently press on the ear; if the child cries louder or resists, it may indicate an issue within the ear. Due to gravity, when standing up, the congestion in the ear improves and pain may ease, which also suggests middle ear inflammation. Other symptoms include waking up at night with pain, rubbing one side of the ear, partial hearing loss, and discharge from the ear (indicating that the eardrum may have ruptured). If any of these symptoms appear…