A man brings in his 1½-yr old daughter to the emergency room. The girl has beome

Question

A man brings in his 1½-yr old daughter to the emergency room. The girl has beome lethargic and she is constantly tugging at her ears. Her ears have become quite red and the nurse finds that her temperature is elevated. A quick look into her ears reveals that the ear drum is intact but is bulging, and there is limited vibration of the tympanic membrane on pneumatic otoscopy, suggesting fluid build-up in the middle ear. The doctor prescribes a borad-spectrum antibiotic, but the man to wait 24 hours to see if the infection resolves on its own before using the antibiotic. What is the technical name for the girl's condition? What is one possible causative agent?

Explanation / Answer

Fluid accumulation in the middle ear is termed as SEROUS OTITIS MEDIA, it is the inflammation of the middle ear due to fluid collection. It commonly occur in children with cold or upper respiratory infections.

This is mostly developed due to the shorter tubes in children with small openings, which increase the risk of clogging and infection. Also it occur secondary to another infection. Moreover, allergans , air irritants and respiratory infections can also cause this problem. It is believed that Streptococcus infections in the respiratory tract might lead to accumulation of fluid in the middle ear and its inflammation.

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