2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21
Good work of analyzers is very important not only for children, but for all people. Hearing helps to recognize speech and adapt in society, develop as a person and personality. That is why, noticing something was wrong, parents need to contact specialists in a timely manner for advice and treatment. In most cases, hearing problems can be solved, thus providing your child with a normal life, because hearing loss negatively affects the development of a person in childhood and on his activities in adulthood.
Children's body is quite fragile. It happens that even the most common cold can cause hearing loss. Very often, parents come to the doctor and claim that the child has become hard of hearing after an illness. Is it worth it to sound the alarm in this case? What preventive measures should be taken so that the perception remains intact? Which specialists should I contact if the child has become hard of hearing?
Reasons
Sudden hearing loss is a common problem faced by pediatricians. Most often parentsnotice a deterioration in the work of the auditory analyzer of their child after a cold or during the course of the disease. Why did the child become hard of hearing after a runny nose or other illness? There can be many reasons for hearing loss.
- Silver plug is a common cause of impaired speech and environmental recognition. The fact is that this formation closes the auditory canal in the auricle. Every person, not only a child, faces a similar phenomenon at least once in a lifetime. This is due to the fact that ear sticks are not able to completely remove wax from the ear cavity, and after a while a plug forms. Only a doctor can eliminate it with the help of special tools.
- Otitis is the most common disease that causes hearing loss in a child, especially preschool age. Very often, this disease is a complication of a cold.
- A foreign body in the ear canal can also cause hearing loss.
- Trauma to the inner ear can be the result of a directed blow to the area of the organ of hearing or a traumatic brain injury. As a result of injury, the ability to recognize sounds is impaired.
- Respiratory diseases - rhinitis, chronic runny nose, adenoids.
- Complications after diphtheria, influenza, measles, scarlet fever, encephalitis.
All of the above factors can cause hearing loss in a child. In addition, a decrease in the work of the analyzer may accompany kidney pathology.
Hearing impairment can also be detected innewborn babies. It can be diagnosed within the walls of the maternity hospital a few days after the baby is born. To do this, conduct audio screening. This type of pathological condition under consideration can develop in a baby if the mother has had an infectious disease during pregnancy. The most dangerous are influenza, toxoplasmosis, rubella, herpes. As a rule, congenital hearing loss occurs in a severe form. The cause of such a disease in an infant may be the use of antibiotics during pregnancy.
What symptoms should alert parents?
Parents should be attentive to the he alth of their children, be vigilant. It happens that the child stops listening to parents, fulfill requests, respond to sounds and words. It’s worth worrying if the baby constantly asks again, complains of pain or tinnitus. In such situations, you should immediately contact a pediatric specialist in a medical institution. Parents should also be alerted by the fact that the child suddenly switched to louder intonations when talking, constantly trying to increase the sound of the TV or tape recorder. These symptoms are easier to notice in older children who can put into words what is bothering them.
Kids can't explain why they're worried, so it's harder for parents to confirm their concerns on their own. If the child is very small, mom and dad should be alerted if the baby stops responding to sound, stops making sounds.
Very carefully you need to watch the child after the end of the course of antibiotics. Parents should be aware that taking such drugs can cause a deterioration in perception. That is why it is advisable to get information in advance on what to do if the child has become hard of hearing after a cold.
What to do?
So, the child began to hear badly. What to do if parents suspect hearing loss? You must immediately contact a specialist in a medical institution. Timely diagnosis of pathology increases the likelihood of a complete restoration of the ability to hear. You can't delay. Because the lost time can lead to serious consequences, up to complete hearing loss.
Diagnosis
To diagnose a child's hearing loss, the doctor uses objective and subjective examination methods. The doctor is limited to a visual examination using special tools if the baby is very small. In this case, the specialist can diagnose transudate sweating and narrowing of the auditory opening. Examination of older children includes additional manipulations, such as performing standard tests designed to determine the patency of the Eustachian tube.
To confirm or refute the diagnosis, the doctor may prescribe additional studies: audiometry or impedancemetry, rhinopharyngoscopy and pharyngoscopy. Material can be taken from the nasal cavity,pharynx. A CT scan of the paranasal sinuses may be required.
Types of hearing loss
All hearing impairments are divided into two major groups:
- Neurosensory pathology, which is based on dysfunction of sound perception. Develops in the inner ear. Birth trauma, vascular diseases, and increased intracranial pressure contribute to the occurrence of the disorder.
- Conductive pathology is a group that includes the most common disorders. This option is easier to treat.
Both groups of disorders require medical supervision and qualified specialist assistance.
Conductive hearing loss
Conductive hearing loss is often triggered by inflammation in the middle ear cavity. The reason for the decrease in sound perception is often chronic otitis media. Hearing loss caused by the formation of cerumen in the ear cavity also applies to this type of hearing loss.
Ways to solve the problem
Treatment is prescribed by a doctor, taking into account the cause of the pathology and the characteristics of the child's body. Most often, when hearing impairment is not associated with the pathology of the nervous system, the specialist prescribes a complex treatment, which involves the reception and courses of reflexology. The latter activate the speech areas of the brain. The doctor prescribes vascular drugs, nootropics, B vitamins, diuretic herbs.
If complex treatment fails, the specialist will select a hearing aid for the child. Regular sessions with a speech therapist and a visit to a psychologist will help the child to ensure full communication with peers, as well as to adapt well in society. These are important steps in overcoming hearing loss.
Prevention of hearing loss in children
Prevention of hearing loss in children is proper care and timely treatment of infectious, bacterial and viral diseases. It is very important for parents to start treatment of the child on time. Letting the disease take its course means exposing your child to the risk of serious complications, one of which is the deterioration of auditory perception.
With a runny nose, you need to drip vasoconstrictor drugs and properly remove mucus from the nose.
Conclusion
Hearing loss is a common reason for visiting a pediatrician or an otolaryngologist. Hearing loss can be congenital or appear during the child's life. Pathology may be the result of a previous illness or a consequence of a head and ear injury.
Timely access to a specialist will allow you to cope with the pathology completely or overcome the problem with minimal losses for the child. If the hearing cannot be restored, regular sessions with a speech therapist and consultations with a psychologist will be required. These are necessary conditions for the child to accept his new state and be able to communicate normally with his peers.
It is worth noting that the fullHearing loss in children is extremely rare. Most often, thanks to effective complex treatment, it is possible to restore auditory perception.
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