How long does it take for otitis media to get better?

The article was professionally consulted with Master, Doctor Truong Thanh Tam - Pediatrician - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

Otitis media with effusion is common in children 1 to 3 years of age, and is characterized by fluid pooling behind an unperforated eardrum. If not detected and treated, otitis media with effusion can progress to chronic and irreversible hearing loss.

Otitis media with effusion is an inflammation of the middle ear mucosa accompanied by discharge in the ear canal, fluid that accumulates behind an unperforated eardrum. Middle ear fluid can be serous, mucinous, or colloidal. Based on the duration of the disease, it can be divided into 3 types of inflammation: Acute form occurs in less than 3 weeks; subacute form lasting from 3 weeks to 3 months; Chronic disease lasting more than 3 months.
Otitis media with effusion is common in children from 1 to 3 years old. The disease develops silently, with few symptoms, the main clinical sign is hearing loss. The disease is detected when parents take their children to the doctor because they notice abnormal signs such as:
Young children do not turn their heads towards sounds or children are slow to learn and develop language. For older children, in the classroom, children can not hear well, feel heavy in the ears, uncomfortable in the ears, have abnormal hearing symptoms when listening to spelling. In addition, otitis media with effusion is often discovered when children come to the doctor in the context of an upper respiratory infection.
In children, hearing loss usually occurs in both ears, while in adults it is more common in one. The degree of hearing loss varies widely in different patients. If the hearing loss is 30dB or more in both ears, it will greatly affect language development as well as learning ability. Some of the rare symptoms of the disease are:
Sensation of displacement in the ear There is a change in the degree of deafness with the position of the head Dizziness Ear pain: Usually only during or shortly after the acute phase of otitis media

Due to the incomplete structure and function of the eustachian tube, the immature immune system of the immune system, children can get otitis media with fluid accumulation due to the following causes:
Bacterial and viral inflammation: Ear infections Fluid retention may be the result of an upper respiratory tract infection. Approximately 65-78% of patients with otitis media with effusion had upper respiratory tract infections in the previous days. 40% of cases of otitis media are found to have bacteria - most commonly Staphylococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Diphteroides,... Some common viruses that cause disease are influenza virus, herpes, coxsackie b4, adenovirus,... Tubular occlusion: Can be functional eustachian tube occlusion, mechanical eustachian tube occlusion, or both. Blockage of the faucet is common in young children because the soft cartilage in the faucet makes opening the faucet difficult, and the muscle straining the pharynx in children is also less effective than in adults. When the eustachian tube is closed, it leads to a loss of air in the ear canal, leading to negative pressure, preventing the drainage of fluid from the middle ear, causing fluid to accumulate behind the eardrum, the permeable fluid in this case is sterile. Inflammation caused by allergies: leading to edema, increased mucus secretion, blocked eustachian tubes.

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Otitis media with fluid stasis, if untreated or ineffectively treated, will cause dangerous complications such as retraction bags, atrioventricular collapse, atrial fibrosis, otitis media with effusion with idiopathic blue eardrum, chronic otitis media. cholesteatoma... These are chronic irreversible diseases that seriously affect hearing.
The goal of treatment for otitis media with effusion is to restore hearing, prevent the progression of chronic diseases, and prevent recurrence and complications of acute otitis media.
To treat otitis media with fluid retention, it is necessary to determine the cause of the disease. The principle of treatment is a combination of systemic and local treatment, medical treatment first, if failure, then switch to surgical treatment.

Otitis media with effusion can develop differently. Usually, otitis media (non-infectious ear fluid) clears up on its own in 10-20 days. Or, after getting the right treatment, hearing is restored. However, in some cases, despite being properly treated according to the regimen, otitis media still recur. Seborrheic otitis can be superinfected, causing chronic purulent otitis media, perforation of the eardrum, and prolonged fluid retention.

To prevent the risk of otitis media with fluid retention, parents need to keep their children warm, improve their resistance, and fully vaccinated. In particular, when children have upper respiratory tract infections, it is necessary to treat them completely, not to let the disease prolong. Children can be taken to the ENT doctor periodically for early detection and treatment of otitis media with fluid retention and other ear problems.
Pediatrics Department at Vinmec International General Hospital system prestigious examination for common diseases in infants and young children such as: respiratory infection, viral fever, bacterial fever, otitis media, pneumonia in Children, ... The hospital is equipped with modern, civilized space, minimizing the impact as well as the risk of disease spread. Experienced and dedicated doctors will help children be diagnosed accurately and treated effectively.

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