Causes of secretory otitis media in children

We know that children's immune function is not as strong as that of adults, so it is inevitable that they will have various diseases. Parents should help children prevent and treat diseases in daily life. One ear disease that children are prone to is secretory otitis media. So what exactly causes secretory otitis media in children? Below we introduce the causes of secretory otitis media in children.

1. Eustachian tube dysfunction is generally considered to be the basic cause of this disease.

(1) Mechanical obstruction: Children's adenoids hypertrophy, hypertrophic rhinitis, nasopharyngeal tumors or lymphatic tissue hyperplasia, long-term nasopharyngeal packing, etc. can directly block the pharyngeal opening of the Eustachian tube and affect the opening of the pharyngeal opening of the Eustachian tube.

(2) Functional impairment: the muscles that open and close the Eustachian tube are weak in contraction. The Eustachian tube cartilage has poor elasticity. When the tympanic cavity is under negative pressure, the wall of the Eustachian tube cartilage segment is prone to collapse. Children's Eustachian tubes are short, wide, and nearly horizontal. Therefore, infections in the nasopharynx can easily spread to the middle ear. This is one of the anatomical and physiological bases for the high incidence of secretory otitis media in children. Patients with cleft palate are susceptible to this disease because their muscles have no midline attachment point and lose their contraction function.

2. Improper use of antibiotics in acute otitis media, such as insufficient dosage, insufficient course of treatment, or bacterial resistance to drugs, can cause the inflammation to persist.

3. Infection: In the past, secretory otitis media was considered to be a sterile inflammation. Studies in recent years have found that about 1/2-1/3 of middle ear effusions are positive for bacterial culture, among which the main pathogens are Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

4. Immune response: Children’s immune system has not yet fully developed, which may be one of the reasons for the high incidence of secretory otitis media in children.

5. Others: Secretory otitis media is very common in children with colds or other upper respiratory tract infections; factors such as feeding in the supine position, contact with other children with upper respiratory tract infections, and passive smoking can increase the possibility of children suffering from secretory otitis media.

In the above article, we introduced a disease of children's ears, that is, secretory otitis media in children. We know that secretory otitis media in children is very harmful, so we must find out the cause of secretory otitis media in children. The above article introduces the causes of secretory otitis media in children in detail.