Middle ear infections are the most common cause of hearing loss in young children.
When a child develops otitis media, an infection of the middle ear, the inflammation associated with that infection can cause a temporary hearing loss. If she has persistent or untreated otitis media, the hearing impairment may become more permanent.
Features
When an ear infection causes a build-up of fluid in a child's middle ear, the three small bones (hammer, anvil and stirrup) that normally transmit sound can't carry vibrations efficiently from his eardrum to his inner ear.
Functions
Because the three bones vibrate less efficiently than normal, sound energy is lost within the fluid-filled middle ear. Environmental sounds are muffled, or the child may not be able to hear them at all.
Effects
As the fluid level goes up and down (fluctuates) within the middle ear, it creates a fluctuating conductive (sound-transmitting) hearing loss. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), this scenario creates the most common type of hearing loss in young children.
Tips
A child who can't hear normally may have significant delays in speech and language development. ASHA recommends that children with frequent ear infections be evaluated by both an audiologist and a speech language pathologist.
Warning
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, ear infections that aren't treated promptly and effectively can contribute to long-term hearing loss.
Tags: hearing loss, hearing loss young, loss young, loss young children, most common, otitis media