Ear hurts when a child has a runny nose

Although I am not a specialist, I decided to share my knowledge, since frequent inflammation of the middle ear is our family disease. I had to listen to so many doctors that I probably could have treated myself.

Otitis media is a very serious disease. It is so serious that it is difficult to imagine its consequences. Today you will learn about the symptoms, specifics and prevention of otitis media.

I can say, as a person who has experienced all this “charm” of acute otitis media, toothache and headache, as well as other “horrors” are resting. Most often, in the middle of the night, shootings begin in the ear, they become more and more intense and it seems as if some person is driving a needle into your brain every minute. At least climb the wall in pain! So that you don't experience this yourself, let's figure out how to prevent otitis from occurring.

It is worth noting that otitis media is not a runny nose; it will not go away on its own! That is why in case of otitis media you need to contact an otolaryngologist.

How to prevent otitis media with a runny nose

The cold season is coming.
Air temperature, atmospheric pressure and body reactivity change. It starts working in a different mode. How long the body will switch depends on the child’s immune system. Any parent does not want his treasure to get sick. Moreover, he does not want ordinary colds to end in complications. Most often, a child catches a runny nose. But this harmless disease can develop into otitis media. How to avoid otitis media when a child has a runny nose? In order to prevent dangerous complications and suffering for the child, we will analyze the causes of a runny nose. And after this it will become clear: how to treat a runny nose so that there is no otitis media.

General rules of prevention

To protect your child from otitis media, you must:

  • make sure that water does not get into the ears when swimming in a bath, pool, pond - if this cannot be avoided, ask the child to tilt his head and press on the ear canal area so that the liquid pours out;
  • carefully choose a hat for the off-season and winter - it should fit snugly to the auricle and completely cover the ear canal;
  • Avoid using cotton swabs when cleaning your ears - this can lead to damage to the eardrum and the formation of wax plugs; it is enough to remove visible dirt at the outer edge of the ear canal;
  • teach preschoolers how to properly clean their nose, strictly follow the rules for using an aspirator when a baby has a runny nose - often otitis media develops when nasal discharge enters the middle ear;
  • Make sure that the child does not pick his ears with his fingers or insert foreign objects into them - injury to the ear canal or eardrum can cause inflammation and lead to hearing impairment.

Etiology of the disease

The causes of otitis may be different.

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  • But the most common reason is hypothermia. We often see that a child, while playing on the street, and even in the cold season, gets excited and takes off his headdress because he has become hot. He was sweating. If parents see this, they will immediately stop such games in the cold air. But if a child is on the street with his peers, then for some time he will still be without a hat. This will be quite enough to catch a cold and otitis media;
  • Weak immune system;
  • The child has colds, inflammation of other ENT organs, rhinitis, the presence of adenoids, a deviated nasal septum;
  • Injuries to the ear.

Especially often, a common runny nose ends in ear inflammation or otitis media. What is a runny nose? This is an inflammation of the nasal mucosa as a result of the penetration of a bacterial or viral infection transmitted by airborne droplets. If a child attends kindergarten or school, he may get rhinitis several times in one season. This indicates that the disease is highly contagious.

To make it easier to understand why a runny nose can be complicated by otitis media, let’s look at the structure of the hearing organ. Without this, the mechanism of the disease will not be understood. And therefore, it will not be clear how to prevent complications from occurring.

How to prevent otitis media (Komarovsky)

Komarovsky in his video lessons (how to prevent otitis media) gives clear reasons for its occurrence.

He explains that in 80% of cases the cause of the disease is the following microorganisms:

  1. Pneumococcus - more than 90 species of this bacterium are known, it is transmitted by airborne droplets in close circles, for example, in kindergarten, children actively exchange it. More aggressive types of this microbe can cause sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis in children;
  2. Haemophilus influenzae is a more common causative agent of ear inflammation and, like pneumococcus, lives inside the human nasopharynx.

Important! The first case of inflammation of the ear canal can occur in a child during the first visit to kindergarten or during contact with sick older brothers and sisters.

It follows that the prevention of otitis currently consists of vaccinating children against these microorganisms. Introducing pathogen antigens into the body will help it build lasting protection. Practice shows that vaccination from 1.5 months to 5 years in this way protects every 3 babies from bacterial attacks.

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Why does otitis media occur?

The name of the disease depends on which part of the auditory organ is inflamed. Otitis externa occurs when there is a disease of the outer ear. Otitis media is a disease of the middle ear. Internal otitis media is a disease of the inner ear. As a rule, the latter form of otitis occurs as a complication of otitis media. An independent form is identified extremely rarely due to its rather difficult anatomical location.

The most common complication of a runny nose is inflammation of the middle ear. This is due to the fact that there is a special channel that is connected on one side to the pharynx, and on the other to the eardrum. Normal operation of the middle ear is possible only when the atmospheric pressure and the pressure in the eardrum are the same. Therefore, while swallowing, we hear a soft clicking sound in our ears. Thus, the middle ear is ventilated and pressure is balanced.

Inflammation in the middle ear can occur without an infection. For example, with a sharp change in pressure (diving, descent and ascent during takeoff)

As a result of inflammation of the nasal mucosa, the infection enters the oropharynx and, as a complication, the Eustachian tube becomes inflamed.

As a result of improper sneezing and frequent nose blowing.

With any disease, increased mucus secretion occurs in the nasopharynx. With frequent sniffing, mucus along with infection enters the lumen of the Eustachian tube. These two factors deprive the possibility of proper airing and ventilation for a long time. This causes the pressure in the cavity to become negative. The processes of secretion of inflammatory fluid by the cells of the tympanic cavity begin. And the child may experience ear pain and hearing loss.

Why does my ear hurt when I have a cold?

Young children very often complain of ear pain or congestion that develops against the background of a runny nose. The reason for this condition is the peculiarity of the structure of the Eustachian tube, which in children is very short, which allows infection to easily penetrate from the nasal sinuses into the auricle. In otolaryngological practice, inflammation of the middle or inner ear is called otitis , which often manifests itself in children after rhinitis, ARVI, acute respiratory infections, and less often develops as an independent disease.


If a child’s ears hurt during or after a cold, most likely this is a sign of complications that have arisen due to an untreated runny nose or improper nose blowing. As the inflammatory process develops in the nasal mucosa, the pressure inside the tympanic cavity decreases, the membrane is depressed, which increases the pressure of the intralabyrinthine fluid. Such changes cause the child to complain not only that the ear hurts, but also a headache, “thumping” and “heaviness” in the temples, throbbing and quite severe pain. With a runny nose, swelling of the nasal mucosa occurs, nasal breathing is impaired, the child is often forced to breathe through the mouth, and may complain of congestion in the ears, which after a few hours or days gives way to ear pain.

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Otitis after a runny nose in children

We took Otipax. It helped us) now it is always in the first aid kit just in case.

Yes, otipax or otofa ear drops. For us, too, a runny nose does not pass by our ears.

Hello. The pharmacy sells furacilin alcohol. Yellow liquid. Do turundas 3 times a day for 30 minutes. Then otofa is dripped. 2-3 times a day. Be sure to use vasoconstrictor nasal drops. The doctor always says: if the nose is breathing, then everything is fine. otitis occurs due to a runny nose, due to difficulty breathing

Otipax drops are good, they contain Lidocaine, so they relieve pain and of course relieve inflammation. But they have contraindications, period. For some types of otitis, these drops cannot be used. Ears are delicate things. Therefore, it is imperative to consult a doctor.

Be healthy! And happy!

Boric acid used to be dripped into the ears. We have it at home. And I gave myself some last year, when there was nothing else. Helps. It helps a lot.

Thanks for the answers, I’m thinking about going to another ENT specialist. otherwise we normally only treat a runny nose. and in the ears only turundas and that’s it. I'm afraid of complications from otitis media.

Author, The slightest draft is not necessary. Take care of your ears.

Author, I myself suffered from otitis due to sinusitis. If it is really due to a runny nose, then such otitis media is treated through the nose. Treat your nose, the otitis will go away on its own. The ears themselves rarely hurt.

_Liska_, my ears themselves really hurt. My personal problem. I swim in the lake all year round. When you go diving in the winter, you don’t have a runny nose, but your ear hurts. So what’s wrong with these ears? piii. weight.

Furacilin alcohol helped

First I dropped it on myself to check, it warms up very well. Prescribed by our pediatrician. But it is better to consult a doctor.

we dripped Normax into the ear and drank an antibiotic, she didn’t complain of pain, we noticed when pus flowed out of the ears

And in which pharmacy did you find Normax? Very good drops for both eyes and ears, shorter than 2 in 1

We went to another ENT specialist. He said that the child does not have otitis media.

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