This tube allows the air filled middle ear to stay healthy and dry. It also allows fluid to drain from the ear when it is infected. In children, however, the eustachian tube does not function as well as in adults. It is angled differently, tends to collapse and the muscles that open it are not fully efficient. Conditions such as colds or allergies can contribute to obstruction of the tube by causing swelling of the lining just as they do to plug the nose.
Adenoids can physically plug the tube or transmit infection through it.
Antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment of ear infections. Often, when the usual antibiotics fail because of resistant bacteria, more powerful antibiotics must be used. If the child has allergy symptoms such as watery, itchy eyes, nasal drainage and rash, these should also be addressed. However, allergy medications occasionally used by physicians to treat recurrent ear infection such as steroids, antihistamines and decongestants have not been shown to be effective in patients without other evidence of allergies. As a result, they are not recommended for treatment of ear infection, as they may have undesirable side effects.