Patient's question:
Patient: Female, 2 years old, with fever without cold symptomsDoctor's answer:
The nasal cavity and ears of a normal person are connected. The channel between the nasopharynx and the middle ear is called the eustachian tube. In children, the eustachian tube is relatively short and wide and is positioned horizontally. If an upper respiratory infection occurs, pathogens can easily enter the middle ear through the eustachian tube, causing acute inflammation. Improper feeding of infants, leading to choking coughs, can also allow milk and other substances to flow into the middle ear through the eustachian tube, causing otitis media. Frequent earwax removal in children can easily puncture the eardrum if done carelessly, leading to otitis media. Earwax should not be removed from children under normal circumstances. A few cases of otitis media are caused by sepsis, with common pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Streptococcus pneumoniae.