Glue ear Flashcards
What is it?
otitis media with an effusion (other terms include serous otitis media).
It is common with the majority of children having at least one episode during childhood
risk factors
male sex
siblings with glue ear
higher incidence in Winter and Spring
bottle feeding
day care attendance
parental smoking
features
peaks at 2 years of age
hearing loss is usually the presenting feature (glue ear is the commonest cause of conductive hearing loss and elective surgery in childhood)
secondary problems such as speech and language delay, behavioural or balance problems may also be seen
treatment options
grommets
adenoidectomy
how do grommets work?
allow air to pass through into the middle ear and hence do the job normally done by the Eustachian tube.
The majority stop functioning after about 10 months
