Preface
Parents can be empowered to provide the best healthcare for their child by being informed. Drs. Tania Sih and Ricardo Godinho have provided clear, concise, current and practical information about illnesses and conditions focused on the ear, nose and throat. As examples, this beautifully illustrated text provides advice about the advantages of breast-feeding, the good and bad of use of pacifiers, selecting the best form of nursery and daycare, and guidelines for use of antibiotics prescribed by the doctor.
There are very useful general sections about nutrition, exercise, sleep, and allergies. Because ear infections (otitis media) are so common in the first years of life, the sections on ear infections are of particular value. They include answers to frequently asked questions about signs that suggest concern for otitis, why children get repeated episodes of otitis, why there is discharge from the ear, practical tips about earaches that occur during travel on airplanes, and what to do when the child has an object stuck in the ear.
Some parents seek information on healthcare from the internet. Although many websites answer health questions, the quality of their information varies – and some of their recommendations are very bad. Guidebooks for parents by recognized experts such as Drs. Sih and Godinho are very useful because the parent can get best information with specific recommendations. The parent can have confidence that the information comes from a very good source, the accumulated knowledge and expertise of these two distinguished physicians.
Jerome O. Klein, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Boston University School of Medicine
Some parents seek information on healthcare from the internet. Although many websites answer health questions, the quality of their information varies – and some of their recommendations are very bad. Guidebooks for parents by recognized experts such as Drs. Sih and Godinho are very useful because the parent can get best information with specific recommendations. The parent can have confidence that the information comes from a very good source, the accumulated knowledge and expertise of these two distinguished physicians.
Jerome O. Klein, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Boston University School of Medicine
Foreword
As President of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, I am delighted to congratulate Professor Tania Sih, MD, PhD, Secretary General of the Interamerican Association of Pediatric Otolaryngology (IAPO), and Professor Ricardo Godinho, MD, PhD, MBA, consultant for IAPO, on their orientation manual, “Caring for the Ears, Nose, and Throat of Children.” This helpful book for parents, physicians, and all who care for children’s health, has already been published and widely distributed in Spanish and Portuguese. Now it is available in English, too, for an English-speaking audience.
Parents will especially appreciate the friendly format, colorful illustrations, and simple, straightforward advice about the health of their children’s ears, noses, and throats. The content is based on the latest medical research and best practices. We applaud the authors for this contribution to better health, which fits very well with our Academy’s mission, “working for the best ear, nose, and throat care.”
James C. Denneny III, MD,
President American Academy of
Otolaryngology – head and Neck Surgery
Introduction
The branch of pediatrics related to ears, nose, and throat includes care for many of the most common clinical problems of childhood, such as ear infections, hearing loss, sore throats, infections of the nose or sinuses, and respiratory problems. Physicians with special training in pediatric diseases of the ears, nose, and throat have specific knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of these types of ailments. Many of these disorders can be approached using clinical treatments, although in some cases surgery may be the best option.
Many problems, including infections of the upper airway, tend to decrease as the child grows and his/her immune system matures. However, the development of language happens mainly in the beginning of childhood. Thus, it is critical to aid hearing and speech in the early years. Language skills are vital for success in life in the XXI century, and medical professionals with special training in these areas may offer outstanding contributions that will help in the decisive development of a child.
Scott Manning, MD
President of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ASPO) 2007-2008
Index
Pediatric Otolaryngology
17 – Pediatric otolaryngology
17 – Main problems leading children to an ear, nose and throat specialist
Day-by-Day
23 – Breast-feeding
24 – Pacifiers
25 – The child who does not eat well
27 – Nose or throat problems that may impair eating
27 – Vitamins
28 – Physical exercise
29 – Swimming and its benefits
30 – The child who snores
32 – Restless sleep
33 – Coughing
34 – Special attention to coughing
35 – Fever
35 – Care of the child with fever
36 – Antibiotics
38 – Special care when using antibiotics
39 – Tips on how to administer drugs to children
40 – Flu, common colds, and viral diseases
41 – Steam therapy or nebulization
42 – Winter
43 – What can be done to reduce winter diseases
44 – Summer
45 – Nursery, daycare and kindergarten
46 – Children who have motion sickness
Home Sweet Home
49 – Polluted city, sick house
51 – Parents who smoke
52 – Television
53 – The internet
The Child’s Hearing
57 – Hearing well
58 – Hearing from inside the mother’s womb
59 – Care during pregnancy
59 – Diseases that may affect the hearing of the fetus
60 – Assessing the baby’s hearing
61 – Otoacoustic emissions test
61 – Orientation for hearing tests in babies
62 – The child’s hearing tests
64 – Assessing the hearing of students
65 – Good communication
66 – Key points in the development of language
68 – Encouraging the development of language
69 – Special attention for repeated ear infections
70 – Deafness and other hearing disorders
72 – Treatments for deafness and hearing impairments
73 – Cochlear implants
74 – Care of the child with hearing impairment
75 – Different ways of communicating
The Child’s Ear
79 – External otitis
80 – Swimmer’s ear – otitis externa
81 – Earache in otitis media
82 – Earache and airplanes
82 – Fever in ear infections
83 – Discharge in the ear
84 – Repeated otitis
85 – Ear tubes
86 – Care with ear tubes
87 – Ear tubes and swimming
88 – Water in the ear and perforation of the eardrum
89 – Earwax
90 – Foreign bodies in the ear
91 – Insects in the ear
92 – The slightly different ear
93 – The ear and the sense of balance
The Child’s Nose
97 – Protection of the nose
98 – Cleaning the nose
100 – The allergic child’s nose
100 – Care of the allergic child
102 – How to use nasal medicines
103 – The nose and swimming
103 – Sinusitis
104 – Acute and chronic sinusitis
105 – Causes of sinusitis
106 – Treatment of sinusitis
107 – Complications of sinusitis
108 – A
denoids
109 – Examining the adenoids
109 – Foreign bodies in the nose
111 – Removing a foreign body from the nose
The Child’s Throat
115 – Infections of the throat
116 – Pharyngitis
117 – Frequent infections of the tonsils
118 – Surgery on the tonsils
119 – Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
120 – Aphthae and herpes
The Larynx and the Child’s Voice
125 – The larynx
125 – Laryngitis (croup) and a scary night
127 – Noisy breathing or laryngomalacia
128 – The malformed larynx
128 – Care of the voice
130 – Tips for children who like singing
131 – Foreign bodies in the larynx
Surgeries
135 – Preparing the child and the family for surgery
136 – One week before surgery
137 – Anesthesia
138 – Admission to the hospital
139 – Visits on the day of surgery
139 – Surgery on the adenoids
140 – Surgery on the tonsils
142 – Surgery on the nose
143 – Surgery on the sinuses
144 – Surgery on the ears
145 – Surgery for a prominent or malformed ear
Orders
To purchase copies of the book "Caring for the ears, nose and throat of children – Orientation Guide", please contact us at:
• Minas Gerais (31) 3772-2121 – Érica – erica@iapo.org.br
• São Paulo (11) 3283-3396/4645 | 3259-4112 | 3255-7630 | 2114-6510/6511 – Vera – primavera@iapo.org.br