If a child becomes worse hearing after or during an illness, then this is a temporary condition that will pass a maximum of three weeks after recovery. But in any case, you need to contact a pediatrician to exclude otolaryngological pathologies.
Impaired auditory function in children
If the child is hearing worse, the otolaryngologist is most likely to diagnose hearing loss. This is a violation of auditory function, in which the perception of sounds is somewhat difficult.
In Russia, such a violation is characteristic of more than 600 thousand children, while in 0.3% of young patients the problems are congenital, in 80% of hearing loss occurs in the first three years of life. Hearing loss at an early age is associated with the development of intelligence and speech function, therefore, the identification and recovery of children with hearing loss is an important task of practical pediatrics.
The specificity of therapy depends on the type of violation and the causes of hearing loss. The child began to hear hard at 3 years old? This condition may be temporary, but there are more serious situations, so you need to contact an ENT doctor to understand the problem.
Classification of hearing loss
Hearing loss can be stable, progressive and reversible. With stable hearing is not restored during treatment, progressive is characterized by hearing impairment on an ongoing basis, can lead to complete deafness. Reversible hearing loss lends itself to therapeutic therapy, over time, hearing is restored.
Doctors distinguish neurosensory hearing loss caused by damage to the nerve endings, auditory center or inner ear, and conductive hearing loss, that is, impaired transmission of the sound wave to the inner ear. Mixed hearing loss is a combination of the above types of pathology.
Hearing impairment can be congenital and acquired. So, if a child of 5 years old began to hear poorly after an illness, then this is acquired temporary hearing loss, a complication of an ear disease or general infectious. The disorder can become progressive if you do not diagnose the clinical condition and do not proceed with the appropriate treatment.
Degrees of hearing loss in children
If a child of 5 years old has become hard of hearing, the doctor will reveal the reasons during the examination. An otolaryngologist will also determine the degree of hearing loss. In the first case, children have difficulty hearing ordinary speech in a noisy environment, while the second is characterized by poor speech audibility under normal conditions and with a single pronunciation of the word. In the third degree, the child hears only those words that are uttered near the ear. The fourth degree is deafness.
Causes of Congenital Hearing Loss
If a child at 4 years old began to hear badly suddenly, then hearing loss is acquired. Congenital hearing loss is diagnosed much earlier. The cause of hearing loss from birth may be deep prematurity, birth trauma, low birth weight (up to 1.5 kg), a woman taking antibiotics during pregnancy or infectious diseases of the mother, intrauterine hypoxia.
Acquired hearing loss
If the child began to hear worse after otitis media, then we are talking about acquired hearing loss, which is temporary. Hearing impairment can be caused by diseases of the upper respiratory tract (runny nose, enlarged adenoids, rhinitis), complications after measles, chickenpox, scarlet fever and other infectious pathologies, kidney problems, or a common cold.
In a small child, hearing may be impaired if the outer or middle ear is damaged, caused, for example, by the introduction of foreign objects (small parts of toys, cotton wool, a pencil, a designer) or a head injury. The sulfuric plug may block the ear canal. This problem does not depend on hygiene, because the release of sulfur is a normal physiological process.
For a while, hearing may deteriorate after exposure to very loud sounds (from 85 decibels or higher) or when taking certain medications. Complications by ear can be given by antibiotics or neomycin drugs.
How to detect hearing loss
If the child began to hear worse, then he will cease to respond to calls that are made in an ordinary voice in the usual conditions. Alarms can be complaints of discomfort or tinnitus, constant interrogations and requests to repeat. Some dads and mothers notice that the child began to speak slower or louder, asking him to increase the volume of the TV. These signs of hearing loss should be the reason to see a specialist.
Children who cannot yet speak must respond to loud and cutting sounds. Typically, the baby turns his head towards the source of sound of medium volume. If the child does not respond, then it is worth showing it to the pediatrician. Hearing impairment can be suspected by the nature of the walk, which will become less and less monotonous, because the baby does not hear intonations.
Particular attention should be paid to children who have suffered serious infectious diseases or traumatic brain injuries. Such pathologies often cause complications in the form of temporary hearing loss.
Hearing loss treatment
If the child began to hear worse, you first need to find out the exact cause of this condition. The treatment tactics chosen will depend on the cause of the hearing impairment. Therapy of conductive hearing loss, as a rule, consists in the appointment of special drugs (including antibiotics), physiotherapy, electrophoresis, vibro massage of the membrane and blowing according to the Politzer.
With stable hearing loss from the third degree and above, special devices are used. Hearing aids are selected individually, can be intra-channel or behind-the-ear. Sensorineural hearing loss and mixed is treated in a hospital. Prescribed drugs that stimulate blood flow and activate immunity. Reflexology and physiotherapy are required.
Hearing loss is compensated by the installation of a special implant. Surgical treatment is prescribed for the ineffectiveness of traditional methods and the progression of disorders. It is important for parents to remember that successful treatment is possible only with timely access to a specialist.
How to cure otitis media in a child
Inflammation of the middle ear often occurs against the background of an acute respiratory viral or infectious disease. Therefore, if a child has a runny nose and becomes hard to hear, you need to contact a pediatrician to exclude otitis media.
As part of the treatment, antibiotics are prescribed for oral administration. Treatment usually begins with ceflosporins and penicillins. If you are allergic to these medicines, medications from the macrolide group may be prescribed, but they are not as effective as penicillins or ceflosporins.
At the first stages of the disease, it does not make sense to use antibiotics in the form of drops in the ear. Only drops with decongestant and analgesic effects are used. In the acute form of the disease, it is necessary to instill vasoconstrictor drugs into the nose. This will help restore the physiological connection between the middle ear and the nasal cavity. If there is no pus, then you can make warming compresses that are applied around the ear.
Acute otitis media in the first three years of life is carried by about 90% of children. This is due to the peculiarities of the anatomical structure of the tube, which connects the nasal and ear cavities. In young children, it is much shorter and much wider than in adults.
The auditory tube may swell to such an extent that the lumen closes. As a result, the eardrum can perforate, which threatens persistent hearing loss and meningitis. Therefore, it is so important to treat otitis media in time.
Sulfur plug removal
If the child began to hear worse, then it is possible that the reason is the formation of a sulfur plug. You can’t delete it at home. The child should be shown to a pediatrician or otolaryngologist. The removal procedure is painless and takes a little time.
If a visit to the doctor is not possible, the cork can be softened using special drops or peroxide (3% solution), a few drops of which must be instilled into the ear. You should carefully read the instructions for ear drops, because some of them have important features of use and contraindications.
Otipax, for example, is a good remedy with anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effects, but contains substances that can cause a strong allergic reaction in a child. Do not bury cold medicine. Drops must first be warmed in the palms. Otherwise, irritation of the inner ear will occur, which can lead to vomiting, nausea and dizziness.
After washing out the sulfur for prophylaxis, you need to instill a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide (five drops each) or liquid paraffin. After the procedure, for fifteen to twenty minutes, the child should lie on its side. Then, the auditory meatus must be cleaned with a cotton band.