Middle-ear infections occur in 75 percent of children by their third birthday, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Depending on the exact cause, oozing or ear discharge is sometimes normal when a toddler has an ear infection, but its presence always warrants a trip to your baby's doctor, since it could be a sign of a ruptured eardrum.
Background
Ear infections in toddlers and babies typically occur in the middle ear, the central ear cavity behind the eardrum. A slender passage called the Eustachian tube leads from the nasal passages to each middle ear, allowing excess fluid to drain from the middle ear. In young children, these tubes are narrower and more horizontal than in adults -- so drainage is more difficult and often leads to blockage of the tubes when your toddler has a cold or other upper respiratory problem. Fluid buildup in the middle ear encourages bacterial growth, which leads to a middle-ear infection, also called otitis media.
Oozing
Liquid oozing from an ear sometimes occurs with a toddler's ear infection but it depends on the type and severity of the infection. White, yellow, clear or blood-tinged ear drainage that accompanies a child's middle-ear infection typically indicates a perforated eardrum, which may develop as a side effect of otitis media. In this situation, built-up fluids in the middle ear cause extreme pressure on the eardrum, eventually tearing it. A rip in the middle ear allows fluid from the middle ear to leak from the outer ear opening.
Considerations
Although middle-ear infections are much more common, toddlers also occasionally get outer-ear infections or otitis externa. These infections develop in the ear canal and generally occur when the canal's skin lining is irritated or abraded, often because a parent mistakenly deep-cleans the ear canal with a cotton-tipped swab. Because this type of ear infection occurs right in the outer-ear canal, clear or pus-colored fluid drainage is common and is often accompanied by outer ear pain and visible redness in the ear.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Contact your toddler's primary-care physician as soon as you notice liquid draining from the ear opening. The doctor will examine the ear and determine the type of infection causing the drainage. If the drainage comes from an outer-ear infection, you will most likely need to instill topical medicated drops directly in the affected ear for several days to heal the infection. In case of a perforated eardrum, the rupture typically heals itself over six to eight weeks, but the doctor may also prescribe analgesics and antibiotics to speed healing.
References
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders: Quick Statistics
- "Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child"; Dr. Robert Rountree et al.; 2003
- MedlinePlus: Ruptured Eardrum
- "The Johns Hopkins Complete Home Guide to Symptoms and Remedies"; Simeon Margolis; 2004
