My daughter Maria who is well known food bloger recently asked me to write some articles on childhood ENT problems. I thought it\’s not a bad idea and may help lot of anxious mothers who want more information on common Ear Nose and Throat disorders affecting the kids.
In coming days, I will try to post articles related to common childhood ENT ailments, so kindly watch out.
As we know, children are prone to ENT conditions because many structures within the ENT region are developmentally immature and are prone to dysfunction .For example, the Eustachian tube (A tube between connecting the back of nose to the ear) is shorter and does not open effectively until the child reaches puberty resulting in middle ear conditions, sinuses are only fully developed at 8 years old and tonsils and adenoids are often large and only shrink in the teens. Children also do not complain of their symptoms resulting in many conditions being inadequately managed or left completely undetected. Hearing loss in children is cause of worry to parents, so too speech related problems.
Soon, I will be writing articles on these issues-eg. Ear ache, wax in the ears, hearing loss in kids, teething pain, fungus in the ear, blocked nose, snoring, tonsil adenoid, cough and cold, things to remember while swimming and flying.
Topics on allergy, sinus problems, medications and the dosage, things to remember for pregnant and breast feeding mothers etc.will be covered. And many more…
Snoring and Sleep Apnea
This a serious condition about which most mothers are not fully aware of its complications. The main cause of OSA and snoring are due to nasal blockage from Allergy, Sinusitis and enlarged Tonsil and Adenoid.
Tonsils are adenoids are often large in children. This results in narrowing of the upper airway causing nasal obstruction and mouth breathing. During sleep, snoring is loud with choking or gasping spells. The increased upper airway resistance results in repeated and frequent episodes of oxygen desaturation and can stress the heart. Sleep is of poor quality and children wake up tired and listless. When the condition is severe and prolonged, behavioral changes such as irritability, temper tantrums and poor concentration are commonly observed.
Treatment – Snoring and Obstructive Sleep apnea due to large tonsils and adenoids are easily managed by surgical removal of Ts and Ads. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia as a day case. The results are one hundred percent positive after surgery.
