Development and behaviour may be affected in a small number of cases Always have some painkiller in your home in case earache develops. This may then cause bad earache for the duration of an infection. However, the gluey fluid is a good food for germs (bacteria) and ear infections are more common in children with glue ear. Children and babies may pull at their ears if they have mild pain. This is not usually a main symptom but mild earache may occur from time to time. Babies may appear less responsive to normal sounds. You may find that your child turns the TV or radio up loud, or often says "What?" or "Pardon?" when you talk to them. However, you may not notice dulled hearing if your child is younger, particularly if only one ear is affected. Older children may say if their hearing is dulled. For example, it is often worse during colds. Hearing varies according to the thickness of the fluid and other factors. However, the severity of hearing loss varies from child to child, is sometimes quite severe and can vary from day to day in the same child. Your child's hearing does not go completely and the hearing loss is often mild. However, the risk of developing glue ear is less in children who live in homes free of cigarette smoke and who are breast-fed. The cause of glue ear is not fully understood and there is no way of preventing most cases. Have allergic rhinitis - eg, hay fever.Have cleft palate, which can affect how well the Eustachian tube works.Boys are more commonly affected than girls. It is most common between the ages of 2 and 5 years. By 10 years of age, 8 out of 10 children will have had at least one case of glue ear. However, in many cases glue ear does not begin with an ear infection. The mucus may build up in the middle ear and not drain well down the Eustachian tube. Some children develop glue ear after a cough, cold, or ear infection when extra mucus is made. This may cause fluid to seep into the middle ear from the nearby cells. A vacuum may then develop in the middle ear. Air in the middle ear may gradually pass into the nearby cells if it is not replaced by air coming up the Eustachian tube. The balance of fluid and air in the middle ear may become altered if the Eustachian tube is narrow, blocked, or does not open properly. The cause is probably due to the Eustachian tube not working properly. However, from time to time (usually when we swallow, chew or yawn), it opens to let air into the middle ear and to drain any fluid out. The middle ear is connected to the back of the nose by a thin channel, the Eustachian tube. The middle ear behind the eardrum is normally filled with air.
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