Health, Diseases and Conditions
What should I do if my child scratches his ears?
Some parents note with concern that the child constantly scratches his ears. Most often, this unpleasant phenomenon is covered by much more serious problems compared to the usual ingress of an extraneous object into the ear canal. Why does the child scratch his ears? We will try to find the answer to the presented question.
In which cases should parents begin to worry?
Causes
Constant scratches in the area of the auricles may indicate the following complications:
- Otitis is an inflammation of the auditory canal, which develops as a result of impact on tissue or foreign bodies entering the mucous membranes. With the development of the disease, along with a reflex scratching of the skin, there is a discharge of pus from the ear canal.
- Eczema of the ear is a special type of otitis. It is rare in children. It is manifested by inflammation of the mucous membranes followed by densification of the tissues. In this case, the painful sensations will disturb the child only when pulling the earlobe.
- Fungal infections - the child scratches his ears as a result of increasing itching. The reason for the defeat of the body by spores of fungi is insufficient hygiene. Treatment in infants occurs exclusively medication according to the recommendations of the doctor.
- Allergic manifestations - a symptom of this kind of ailments is the reflexive scratching of not only the ears, but also the area around the eyes. The child can exhibit constant sneezing, profuse salivation, as the allergy affects all mucous membranes.
- Psoriasis can begin with the usual redness of the skin around the ears. A clear sign is the formation of a rash. Without proper treatment, the latter will cover an impressive area of the skin, which will cause the baby to scratch the entire face.
- Catarrhal diseases are characterized by the development of inflammatory processes that affect not only the respiratory organs, but also the ears of the child.
Helpful Tips
Some babies can often touch the ears, by examining their own body. Children aged 6 to 8 months often show similar behavior due to eruption of the first teeth.
If there is a suspicion of the development of diseases, you should go with the child to a specialist who will make a smear, which will determine the nature of microflora in the ear canal.
Prevention
To clean the auditory canals, the child is recommended to use sterile cotton buds at least once a week. At the same time, care must be taken to ensure that the small villi of the material does not get stuck in the ears. Doing this procedure, do not be too zealous. After all, in the tender ear of a baby it is easy enough to scratch the skin and even damage the eardrum. In the end, too frequent, thorough cleaning of the ears can lead to the removal of important bacteria.
Avoiding the defeat of the mucous membranes of the ear will make it possible to isolate the baby from contact with all kinds of allergens: flowering plants, animals, an abundance of dust. For similar purposes, the nursing mother should change her diet. Perhaps the child scratches his ears, because certain allergens get into his body along with milk. To strengthen the immune system of the baby will allow the appointment of a doctor appropriate course of multivitamins.
Treatment with medicines
Finally
Diseases of the ear canal in children often act as concomitant manifestations when the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx are affected. However, leaving the problem without proper attention is not necessary. Since the presence of even a small infection in the ear canal in the future can cause the development of chronic inflammation, the occurrence of purulent processes, up to the damage of the tympanic membrane. If the child often scratches his ears, does not cease to rub the skin for a long time, pull the lobes, perform other actions with the auricle, it is worth to go for examination to the otorhinolaryngologist.
Similar articles
Trending Now