Kids' health - common conditions: Glue ear
Glue ear
What is it? An infection that causes the ear to fill with a glue-like liquid.
What are the symptoms? Typical things to watch out for are:
- Difficulty hearing
- Mild earache
- Slow development in learning
What should I do? Your doctor can run tests to see if your child has glue ear. The initial treatment is then usually to watch and wait and be sympathetic to your child. Most cases go away without any need for surgery or other treatment.
How long will it last? Symptoms only last a couple of weeks and hearing is back to normal within 3 months in 50% of cases and within a year in 9 out of 10.
When will they get it? 70% of children get it at least once before they are 4. It's more common in boys than girls.
What if my child doesn't get it? There is no known reason why children get glue ear and it is not associated with any adult problems, so you have nothing to worry about, if you avoid it.
- Find out more about glue ear in children
More common conditions
- Appendicitis
- Chicken pox
- Croup
- German measles/Rubella
- Head lice/Nits
- Measles
- Mumps
- Ringworm
- Scarlet fever
- Slapped cheek syndrome
By Rob Mansfield
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