Yes, it can happen. Kids these days can get recurrent ear infections. In fact, when most of the kids catch cold or something, they also end up with ear infections. The foremost reason behind this is their underdeveloped immune system and as compared to adults their ears don’t drain well.  

Swimmer’s Ear

An infection in the outer part of the ear is sometimes referred to as swimmer’s ear. It happens when ears stay wet for longer periods. But even if your child doesn’t swim, a small scratch from cotton swab can cause infection. Take him/her to an ENT specialist when your kid’s ear gets hurt. 

Diagnosing an ear infection

The only way to know whether your child bears an ear infection is to check with an ENT doctor. He/she will use a device known as otoscope. It is a minute flashlight with a magnifying lens for the specialist to look through. A pinkish-grey color of the eardrum is a healthy sign. An infected looks swollen and inflamed. 

Peeking into the ear

The Eustachian tube is a canal that connects your middle ear to the throat. It confines fluid and air pressure to grow inside the ear. Allergies, cold & flu add up to irritate the Eustachian tube and cause it to swell up. 

Fluid in the ear

If the Eustachian tube gets choked, fluid tends to develop inside your kid’s ear. This makes for an ideal breeding ground viruses which can cause infections. Using an otoscope, your ENT will blow a puff of air to make eardrum vibrate. If it doesn’t vibrate as it should, there is a chance of fluid being inside. 

Eardrum burst

If fluid persists in the ear, chances are that your child’s eardrum will burst. You may see yellow-brownish fluid draining from the ear. Normally, eardrum heals on its own in a fortnight. Your child’s will not be affected due to the burst. 

Symptoms of ear infection 

The foremost symptom of infection is acute pain in the ear. Your child may face problems sleeping. Some of the other symptoms are:

·         Hearing trouble

·         Fever

·         Flowing fluid

·         Dizziness

·         Runny nose

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“Prevention is better than cure”, the phrase is perfectly suitable to an ailing individual. The common man has often been heard saying this to the one who has fallen sick in some way or the other. Sickness, illness, being unwell showcases the importance of health checkups. What are these heath checkups? A health checkup is a regular examination of a human being’s body functionality. These checkups are conducted to determine whether the limbs, nerves, joints, muscles are all in good shape and working properly. One should never give it a miss as it can aggravate an ailment which may not be known to either patient or doctor.

In reality, we do not give due significance to health checkups. We often tend to become lazy when it comes to examination of body. Our work schedule is such that 9 out of 10 times we don’t get to visit a doctor. It is this lack of interest that hampers the functioning of body later on. Most of the patients complain about developing acute symptoms of a particular disease when they age. However, doctors have a simple explanation for this. They say, “If you would have given a part of your hectic 24 hours towards health checkups, things would shape different today.”

Structure of a health checkup

Besides examining overall body functionality which includes eyes, ears and teeth, an average health checkup evaluates the working of lungs, heart, kidneys, digestive and immune system. Sometimes some intricate cancer-specific tests are also included in regular health checkups such as Prostate-Specific Antigen (PFA) for men and mammography, gynecological examinations for women.

The list of some common tests in a regular health checkup is given below:

·         General examination (weight, BP, pulse rate etc.)

·         Lab investigation comprising a complete Haemogram. 

·         Lipid profile to check the functioning of heart.

·         Liver function test.

·         Kidney function test.

·         Blood sugar.

·         Chest X-Ray.

·         Treadmill test to check the heart rate.

·         Ultrasonography of the abdomen.

·         Routine urine examination.

Getting the right kind of health checkup is detrimental for our health. Regular health checkups are essential to detect any existing health issue which may pose problems later on. 

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