Eustachian tube function in children up to 3 years of age is somewhat worse, and hearing problems and developmental consequences can occur as a result.
Children’s pathology varies according to the time of the year. In winter, the most common are tonsillitis, laryngitis and otitis. During the summer, the problems we see the most are otitis externa and also problems related to allergy or allergic rhinitis in spring. A simple visit with an experienced Pediatric ENT specialist and an experienced Audiologist will give us a correct diagnosis and treatment.
Hearing problems in children, why do they occur?
We know that the ventilation of the ear is fundamental to have a correct functioning of the ear and that this ventilation comes to the ear through ducts that join it to the nose (Eustachian tube).
This ventilation function or this tube has certain characteristics in infants and children under two to three years of age that make it work worse (tubal dysfunction) and this leads to poor ventilation of the ear and therefore to a higher incidence of mucous otitis media, i.e., more mucus in the ear and less hearing.
Detecting hearing problems in children
Symptoms of hearing loss in children are sometimes silent, according to ENT experts. Few children complain of poor or poor hearing, so it can take months for parents or school to notice if we are not attentive. Some of the warning symptoms are:
– Delayed language learning
– Poor pronunciation of some phonemes
– Self-absorbed or very absent-minded child with a tendency to withdraw, or
– Saying “huh?” frequently and asking to turn up the TV volume.
We must know what our children’s hearing is, as this guarantees a correct development of language at that age. This is achieved through school check-ups, pediatricians and otorhinolaryngologists.
That said, protection of the ears and hearing is achieved by avoiding or treating upper respiratory infections before they affect the ear, especially in those patients with associated risk factors.