EAR INFECTIONS AND COMMON RISK FACTORS

Ear Infections occur for a number of reason. Some can be controlled by parents, others not. Here's a look at the most common risk factors for developing childhood ear infections:

Age: Infants and young children are more likely to get ear infections than older children. The size and shape of an infant's eustachian tube makes it easier for an infection to develop. Ear infections occur most often in children between 3 months and 3 years of age. Also, the younger a child is at the time of the first ear infection, the greater the change he will have repeated infections.

Family History: Ear infections can run in families. Children are more likely to have repeated middle ear infections if a parent or sibling also had repeated ear infections.

Colds/Allergies: Colds often lead to ear infections. Children in group child care settings have a higher chance of passing their colds to each other becasue they are exposed to more viruses from the other children. Allergies that cause stuffy noses can also lead to ear infections.

Tobacco Smoke: Children who breathe in someone else's tobacco smoke have a higher risk of developing health problems, including ear infections.

Bottle-Feeding: Babies who are bottle-fed, especially while they are lying down, get more ear infections than breastfed babies. If you bottle-feed your child, hold his head above the stomach level during feedings. This helps keep the eustachian tubes from being blocked.

Two things you can do to help reduce your child's risk of getting an ear infection are:

Breastfeed instead of bottle-feed. Breastfeeding may decrease the risk of frequent colds and ear infections.
Keep your child away from tobacco smoke, especially in your home or car.
Also, vaccines against bacteria (such as pneumococcal vaccine) and viruses (such as influenza vaccine) may reduce the number of ear infections in children with frequent infections.

© Copyright 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics