Now that the good weather arrives and we want to take our sons and daughters to the pool or the beach to refresh them and have a nice time, we must have extreme watch out for otitis in summer, something very frequent at this time of year.
The humidity or the little hygienic waters, among other factors, are the causes of the increase of the external infections in the auditory conduits of our little ones (and also of those that are not so small). This type of inflammation of the ear is also known as "summer otitis" or "swimmer's ear".
What is "swimmer's otitis"?
This type of hearing disorder, which is much more common in young children, consists of an inflammation, usually caused by bacteria, of the skin that lines the ear's ear canal. It can occur in both ears at once or in one.
Soap, shampoo or chlorine from the water can facilitate ear infection, since they protect it against the attack of external infectious agents or the growth of fungi, which are responsible for first colonizing the skin of the ear to, later, be introduced in the ear canal.
Another cause of otitis may be the wax accumulated inside the ear, since the wax that remains lodged inside is capable of absorbing the water that enters during the bath, becoming swollen and thus causing the formation of a plug.
The main symptom of this condition so common in the summer is a very strong and very annoying pain in the ears of our children, which can last approximately a couple of days and is increased if the ear is touched. On some occasion, being an infection, some fever may also occur.
In addition to everything said above, each otitis involves a small temporary hearing loss, which usually does not extend beyond the duration of the infection. That is why it is very important to detect and cure otitis in time, since otherwise more severe complications can occur.
How to avoid otitis?
The main and most important is keep ears clean and dry at all times, and especially after each bath. Cleaning and drying should be done with absorbent cotton, avoiding the use of cotton buds. These usually push dirt and infectious agents from the ear canal into the ear and cause more serious infections.
Instead, what is recommended for drying the ears after bathing is use the tip of a towel or gauze dry, not introducing it beyond where between the finger.
In the event that your child suffers from an otitis and go to a specialist doctor, it is most likely that he will prescribe a few drops for complete healing. Of course, the treatment will be adapted to each particular child, since it will depend on the severity of each case.
As you can see, you must have watch out for otitis in summer, but they are not very difficult to avoid; all that is needed is for our little ears to remain as clean and dry as possible after each bath.
And is that summer is a perfect time for our children, and us with them, to enjoy the water and good weather, but without forgetting to take all kinds of precautions to avoid possible problems that may prevent us from enjoying more than Deserved family leisure days.
