Childhood Ear Infections and Hearing Loss

Hearing your child describe that their ear hurts can be a worrying moment for any parent, but the truth is that ear infections, especially the middle ear infections like acute otitis media, are common in children. When diagnosed, treating the infection itself is the key, and normally the symptoms are temporary. However, parents may notice that their child will complain about not being able to hear. What is the nature of hearing loss in relation to middle ear infections?

Ear Infections and Childhood Hearing Loss

The good news for parents is that the hearing loss associated with childhood ear infections is very likely to go away when the infection clears. The reason that this hearing loss tends to occur is that fluid can build up behind the eardrum during an infection, which can limit the movement of the drum as well as the tiny middle ear bones that are vital to hearing. When the infection clears, the fluid will also go away naturally, which should leave your child’s hearing back to normal.

Causes of Ear Infections

Ear infections can happen due to all manner of reasons, such as foreign objects in the ear, but the majority of them are caused by viruses like the common cold. The ears are connected to the respiratory system, and the swelling in the nose and throat can reach the rears through the Eustachian tube. When this is blocked up, fluid cannot drain from the middle ear as it usually would, and this can cause the excess fluid buildup that’s the cause of many of the symptoms of a middle ear infection.

A lot of children will experience at least one ear infection when they are younger, and some will experience recurrent ear infections, but the majority of them are going to be temporary in their symptoms.

What if the Hearing Loss Isn’t Related to an Infection?

Sometimes, a childhood ear infection may draw attention to hearing loss, but that symptom might have already been there. In other cases, your child may experience hearing loss without there being any ear infection present. When that happens, you will want to make an appointment with the audiologist as soon as possible.

They will be able to carry out a hearing test and a physical examination to both measure your child’s range of hearing and to pinpoint any reason that they might be experiencing hearing loss. In the case of things like an earwax blockage, cleaning the ear may be enough. In other cases, they may begin to help you look at hearing aids that can improve your child’s hearing and quality of life.

If you’re concerned about your child’s hearing health, it’s a good idea to work with an audiologist. Your doctor can treat ear infections and prescribe medication, while the audiologist can examine the ear and conduct evaluations to determine if there is another issue impacting their auditory system.