Ear infection with fluid

Risk factors for fluid in the ear

Several things put your child at higher risk for fluid in the ear.

Source:
Roberts JE, Zeisel SA.
Ear infections and language development: how ear infections and middle ear fluid might affect your child's language development.
Availabel at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/ECI/earinfections.pdf (accessed on 2 December 2008).

Source:
Strachan DP, Cook DG.
Health effects of passive smoking, 4: passive smoking, middle ear disease and adenotonsillectomy in children.
Thorax. 1998; 53: 50-56.

Source:
Paradise JL, Rockette HE, Colborn DK, et al.
Otitis media in 2253 Pittsburgh area infants: prevalence and risk factors during the first two years of life.
Pediatrics. 1997; 99: 318-333.

Source:
Lim DJ.
Recent advances in otitis media.
Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. 2002; 199 (supplement): 1S-124S.

⁴

Being very young: Fluid in the ear happens most often in children under age 2, especially in those between the ages of 6 months and 18 months. Children tend to grow out of this condition as they get older, although the rate peaks again between ages 5 and 6 when children start going to school.

Source:
Lim DJ.
Recent advances in otitis media.
Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. 2002; 199 (supplement): 1S-124S.

⁴
Going to day care: If your child attends day care, he or she is more likely to have both ear infections and fluid in the ear.

Source:
Lim DJ.
Recent advances in otitis media.
Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. 2002; 199 (supplement): 1S-124S.

⁴ This is probably because your child may catch infections from other children, and some infections can lead to fluid in the ear. Children cared for in group child-care facilities are nearly twice as likely to get fluid in the ear as children cared for at home. However, research has not shown whether taking children out of day care helps prevent this condition.

Source:
Lim DJ.
Recent advances in otitis media.
Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. 2002; 199 (supplement): 1S-124S.

⁴
Being given formula milk as a baby: Breast-feeding, even for a short time, seems to protect babies to some extent against fluid in the ear for several years. Researchers think breast milk helps strengthen a baby's

immune system
The immune system is made up of the parts of the body that are devoted to fighting infection. The body is constantly being threatened by infections from things like bacteria, viruses and parasites. The immune system fights these infections in different ways. At the microscopic level, the immune system uses antibodies and white blood cells, which travel in the blood and target infectious agents, such as bacteria. These microscopic parts of the immune system either kill the infectious agent directly, or take it to other parts of the body, like the spleen, where it can be dealt with. The lymph nodes are another important part of the immune system. Within them, white blood cells filter through the foreign material that has entered the blood, to see if there are any infections. When you have a swollen gland during a cold, this is actually a lymph node that is reacting to the infection. Unfortunately, it is possible for the immune system to become confused and to use its destructive powers to target healthy parts of the body. Diseases that result from this type of situation are called autoimmune diseases.

immune system (the parts of the body that protect against infection).

Source:
Daly KA, Hunter LL, Giebink GS.
Chronic otitis media with effusion.
Pediatrics in Review. 1999; 20: 85-93.

⁵
Being around second-hand smoke: Children with parents who smoke are more likely to get ear infections as well as fluid in the ear. Children who have at least one parent who smokes are about 50 percent more likely than other children to get ear infections and 40 percent more likely to get fluid in the ear.

Source:
Strachan DP, Cook DG.
Health effects of passive smoking, 4: passive smoking, middle ear disease and adenotonsillectomy in children.
Thorax. 1998; 53: 50-56.

²
Getting lots of infections: Fluid in the ear is more likely to affect children who get lots of ear infections, coughs and colds.

Source:
Lim DJ.
Recent advances in otitis media.
Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. 2002; 199 (supplement): 1S-124S.

⁴

Source:
Daly KA, Hunter LL, Giebink GS.
Chronic otitis media with effusion.
Pediatrics in Review. 1999; 20: 85-93.

⁵
Being in a large family: Studies have shown that having many brothers and sisters increases the risk of fluid in the ear.

Source:
Lim DJ.
Recent advances in otitis media.
Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. 2002; 199 (supplement): 1S-124S.

⁴
Having a family history of fluid in the ear: A tendency to get fluid in the ear can be passed on through families. If a close relative has had ongoing problems with fluid in the ear, your child is more likely to get the condition.

Source:
Lim DJ.
Recent advances in otitis media.
Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. 2002; 199 (supplement): 1S-124S.

⁴
Being a boy: Fluid in the ear is more common in boys than in girls.

Source:
Lim DJ.
Recent advances in otitis media.
Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. 2002; 199 (supplement): 1S-124S.

⁴
Having a cleft palate or a similar condition: Fluid in the ear is more likely to affect children with abnormalities in the structure of their face, such as a

cleft palate
Babies who are born with a cleft palate have a hole in the roof of their mouth. Surgeons usually correct the problem during the first year of a child's life.

cleft palate. The condition is also more common among children with

Down syndrome
Down's syndrome affects some people from birth. It causes learning difficulties, and it also makes some physical problems more likely. It is caused by an extra chromosome. Chromosomes are found in all our cells, and contain genes, which tell cells how to grow and behave.

Down syndrome and other genetic disorders.

Source:
Bluestone CD, Klein JO.
Otitis media in infants and children.
2nd edition. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 1995.

⁶
Living in poverty: Fluid in the ear is more likely to affect children from poorer families.

Source:
Lim DJ.
Recent advances in otitis media.
Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. 2002; 199 (supplement): 1S-124S.

⁴

Source:
Daly KA, Hunter LL, Giebink GS.
Chronic otitis media with effusion.
Pediatrics in Review. 1999; 20: 85-93.

⁵ Researchers don't know why, but it may be linked to crowded living conditions, poor sanitation, poor medical care or poor diet.

Source:
Bluestone CD, Klein JO.
Otitis media in infants and children.
2nd edition. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 1995.

⁶
Being of a certain ethnic group: Fluid in the ear is more likely to affect children of Native American descent.

Source:
Daly KA, Hunter LL, Giebink GS.
Chronic otitis media with effusion.
Pediatrics in Review. 1999; 20: 85-93.

⁵ Black children seem to get the condition less often than white children do.

Source:
Daly KA, Hunter LL, Giebink GS.
Chronic otitis media with effusion.
Pediatrics in Review. 1999; 20: 85-93.

⁵ Researchers don't know whether these differences are due to different lifestyles or different genes.

Some of these risk factors double a child's chance of getting fluid in the ear.

Source:
Lim DJ.
Recent advances in otitis media.
Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. 2002; 199 (supplement): 1S-124S.

⁴ These factors include bottle-feeding, attending day care, being in a large family, having frequent ear infections and being around secondhand smoke.

Sources for the information on this page:

Roberts JE, Zeisel SA.Ear infections and language development: how ear infections and middle ear fluid might affect your child's language development.Availabel at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/ECI/earinfections.pdf (accessed on 2 December 2008).

Strachan DP, Cook DG.Health effects of passive smoking, 4: passive smoking, middle ear disease and adenotonsillectomy in children.Thorax. 1998; 53: 50-56.

Paradise JL, Rockette HE, Colborn DK, et al.Otitis media in 2253 Pittsburgh area infants: prevalence and risk factors during the first two years of life.Pediatrics. 1997; 99: 318-333.

Lim DJ.Recent advances in otitis media.Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. 2002; 199 (supplement): 1S-124S.

Daly KA, Hunter LL, Giebink GS.Chronic otitis media with effusion.Pediatrics in Review. 1999; 20: 85-93.

Bluestone CD, Klein JO.Otitis media in infants and children.2nd edition. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 1995.

This information was last updated on May 11, 2009

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