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Ear infections, sore throats, and sinus infections are a
normal part of growing up. If you’re the parent of an infant or toddler, you’ll
likely see your child through an ear infection or two before they start
preschool. Other problems commonly crop up during the school-aged years: sore
throats, stuffy noses, sinus infections.

For most kids, these don’t represent serious health
concerns, notes John Feehery, M.D., an otolaryngologist with Providence Ear
Nose and Throat Associates who practices at the Crozer Medical Plaza at Brinton
Lake. But for a fraction of them, these conditions persist or recur repeatedly
despite treatment.

If your child experiences pain and inflammation in the ears,
nose or throat multiple times within a few months to a year, it’s time to
consult an otolaryngologist. Left untreated, these conditions can have a major
impact on children’s health and development, notes Feehery — from speech and
language learning during the toddler years, to sleep and concentration during
the preteen and teen years. He and his colleagues aim to partner with your
family to find the underlying cause of the problem and provide relief.

“The end game is getting the child back to a normal life,”
says Feehery, who is also the chief of Otolaryngology at Taylor Hospital. “We
work to end the suffering, stop the sleepless nights, get them back to
participating in sports or whatever they want to do.”

If medications and symptom management don’t do the trick,
relief might come in the form of outpatient surgery, which Feehery and his
colleagues can perform right at The Surgery Center at Brinton Lake. “We have
pediatric-trained otolaryngologists and anesthesiologists who offer safe,
high-quality, compassionate care, allowing parents and their children to remain
close to home,” he says.

Ear Infections 

Ear infections, also known as otitis media, are “pretty
common” from ages six months to three years, says Feehery, because the Eustachian
tube that connects the passages at the back of the nasal cavity with the middle
ear is horizontal, trapping fluid that can lead to infection.

 “Usually ear infections resolve pretty quickly with
supportive care, pain medications, and antibiotics if deemed necessary,” he
says. But if your child’s ear infections keep coming back month after month,
the problem is more serious. Feehery says that chronic ear infections could be
to blame if your toddler seems excessively cranky, cannot follow commands, or
is slow to develop speech by age two.

“Even after antibiotics get rid of the infection, fluid can
remain in the middle ear, and this can lead to hearing loss, which in turn can
lead to speech delay,” he says.

If the fluid in the ear persists for more than three months,
he often recommends surgery to insert very small tubes in the ear drum that
allow air to flow into the middle ear. Children are sedated for the 15-minute
procedure.  

“Kids generally improve rapidly once the tubes are in
place,” he says. “Not only does their communication improve, but the
constellation of symptoms that tend to come with chronic ear infections—from
crankiness to disturbed sleep—go away.”

Sore Throats 

The incidence of sore throats tends to “peak between the
ages of 10 and 20,” Feehery says, and the usual culprit is a virus or bacteria.
Like ear infections in younger children, sore throats usually are not serious —
unless the soreness keeps coming back, as is true for a small percentage of
young people.

“For these kids it becomes a chronic problem, whether
because they are harboring some resistant bacteria or they also suffer from
severe allergies or asthma,” Feehery stresses.

The tonsils on either side of the throat can become enlarged
and inflamed, as can the adenoids, an area of tissue located at the back of the
nasal airway and the top of the throat. Tonsillitis and adenoiditis can cause
difficulty breathing, snoring and sleep apnea, decreased appetite, even
hyperactivity, Feehery says.  

An otolaryngologist can work you and your child to manage
chronic sore throats with medications such as antibiotics and anti-inflammatory
medications. If your child has five to seven throat infections in a year, or
persistent infection for up to three months, Feehery often suggests removing
the tonsils and/or adenoid tissue. Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are
performed less frequently than they were in the past, but for many young people
they remain the best solution, he says.

“A typical case might be a high school or college student
who is just tired of having persistent infections and throat pain,” he says.
“It remains a very effective treatment, it vastly improves their quality of
life, and young people often say it’s the best thing they ever did.”

Sinusitis

Sinusitis is more than a bad cold: the cavities around nasal
passages (sinuses) become inflamed and swollen, causing mucus to build up. If
your child has sinusitis that lasts for weeks or even months at a time—or that
resolves and comes back in a vicious cycle — it’s time to consult an
otolaryngologist. Feehery and his colleagues can help you figure out whether
allergies may be the underlying cause. If not, decongestants, saline
treatments, and/or antibiotics may be prescribed, and a CAT scan can be done to
examine the sinuses for any underlying problems.

If other treatments don’t provide relief, Feehery and his
colleagues can perform functional endoscopic sinus surgery, or FESS, a
minimally invasive procedure done to open up the sinuses. At The Surgery Center
at Brinton Lake, they offer the latest innovations in pediatric sinus surgery,
including balloon sinuplasty, image-guided surgery, and surgery using powered
instrumentation.

For more information about Providence Ear Nose and Throat
Specialists, visit www.providenceent.com,
and for The Surgery Center at Brinton Lake, www.brintonlakesurgery.com. For
more information about the Crozer Medical Plaza at Brinton Lake, visit http://brintonlake.crozer.org.