Patient's question:
Boy, 7 years old, has started primary school. Lately, the child has complained that his ears are itchy and painful. Additionally, there is occasional discharge of yellow fluid, and he seems to have no appetite and feels very weak. Question: How should acute otitis media with ear pain be diagnosed and treated in children?Doctor's answer:
Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs are the current methods and medications for clinical treatment of pediatric otitis media. Parents can choose them according to symptoms. In addition to systemic medication, local treatment can also be performed using anti-inflammatory ear drops. If the child's main symptom is ear pain, it is recommended that parents give appropriate pain relief medication to alleviate it. If the child has a fever, they can administer fever-reducing medication or immediately take the child to the hospital. If there are multiple episodes of acute severe symptoms or if the eardrum has perforated, surgical treatment should be performed promptly. During treatment, it is important to ensure the child is kept warm to prevent worsening of symptoms due to colds.