6 Effective Treatments To Cure Perforated Eardrum In Kids
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Parenting is a journey of joy, excitement and loads of responsibility. Modern day parents want to be aided with a lot of information in order to be well prepared to deal with any situations with regards to health and safety of their children.
In case, you are confused if your child is having the condition of perforated eardrum or not, reading on will help you put all your doubts to rest.
What Is Perforated Eardrum?
An eardrum is thin layer of tissue that protects the middle and the inner ear from any sudden jerk or damages from the outside.
- It is medically known as the tympanic membrane and is oval in shape. This layer separates the ear canal from the middle ear.
- So, when there is damage, a hole or a rupture on the eardrum, that condition is known as the perforated eardrum.
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Facts About Perforated Eardrum:
A perforated eardrum is not considered as a very serious condition in the first instance and it heals on its own.
- There are usually not much of complications associated with this condition.
- Severe conditions can lead to infection in the middle ear and loss of hearing.
- The other name of perforated eardrum is “Ruptured Eardrum”.
- A tear in the eardrum can make way for bacteria to get into the middle ear causing serious infections.
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Causes Of Perforated Eardrum In Children:
A common precaution suggested by doctors to safeguard the ears of the children is to avoid cleaning the ears with a cotton swab or any other pointy thing. However, there are other reasons as well that can amount to the condition of a perforated eardrum.
Some of them are discussed below.
- Change in pressure of the air in the middle air when compared to the external environmental air pressure. Such changes are observed while travelling in an airplane or while climbing high altitudes etc.
- Insertion of any external object too far into the eardrum for the purpose of cleaning it might rupture the eardrum.
- Sudden loud noise or sudden jerk due to an accident or sudden force like a slap on the ear etc., can cause the eardrum to rupture.
- Accidents that cause a skull fracture can lead to a perforated eardrum.
- Ear infections can lead to accumulation of pus or fluid behind the eardrum thereby exerting pressure on it that causes the rupture.
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Symptoms Of Perforated Eardrum:
Perforated Eardrum can be detected early and timely medical intervention can be sought in sever conditions to facilitate a quick recovery.
The common perforated eardrum symptoms are as follows.
- A pain that can begin as a mild pain which matures into a severe pain before it starts dwindling again.
- A buzzing or ringing sound in the ear. The medical name of this symptom is tinnitus.
- A feeling of dizziness or vomiting.
- Loss of hearing.
- A sense of heaviness or fullness in the ear due to accumulation of pus or fluid. Drainage of sticky or bloody fluid or liquid from the ear.
Treatment For Perforated Eardrum:
Usually the condition of perforated eardrum does not need any treatment and it cures on its own. However, in case of severe conditions it might need some medical attention.
- An instrument called otoscope will be used to check the condition of the ear canal.
- A doctor might suggest an audiology exam to understand the current hearing levels and in some cases, if there is fluid oozing out of the ear, it can also be tested for suggesting antibiotics.
- Usually antibiotics and pain relievers are provided to the patient so that the condition heals on its own.
- The other option is when the doctor tries to patch the rupture by placing a thin paper patch over the tear on the eardrum after stimulating the growth of the eardrum with a chemical after checking with a microscope.
- Several such patch work might be required to seal the perforation completely to augment hearing. This procedure is known as tympanoplasty.
- In severe cases a surgery may be required by dint of which the doctors might be able to repair the tear or the rupture.
So take great care of the ears of your child and do not insert any objects into eat for the purpose of cleaning it. You can always check with a medical expert in case you doubt a condition of perforated eardrum in your child.
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Make the best use of the information shared above and let us know, if you have any experiences to share on how you handled a perforated eardrum condition of your child.
