A Pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat
Physician may be the right choice for your child. Children are not
small adults, and a pediatric specialist is interested in your child’s
growth, development and psychosocial needs. We care for children’s
nasal and sinus problems, ear and hearing problems, tonsils and
adenoids, head and neck masses, airway and swallowing problems as well
as other ear, nose and throat disorders pertaining to infants and
children.

Common ENT Issues in Adolescents, Children and Young Adults:

Allergic Rhinitis (hay fever) is an especially common chronic nasal problem in adolescents and young adults.  Allergies to inhalants like pollen, dust, and animal dander begin to cause sinus and nasal symptoms in early childhood.  Infants and young children are especially susceptible to allergic sensitivity to foods and indoor allergens. 

 Symptoms include:

• sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion and itchy eyes and nose
• Mouth breathing, snoring, obstructive sleep apnea
• Irritability, short attention span, daytime sleepiness
• Colds and ear infections are more frequent and last longer
• Sore throats
• Headaches

Allergic Rhinitis can cause enough inflammation to obstruct the openings to the sinuses, which may cause a bacterial sinus infection.  In acute sinusitis, they will often have pain and typically have fever and nasal discharge.  In chronic sinusitis, pain and fever are not evident.  Some children may have mood or behavior changes.  Most will have a runny nose, nasal congestion, and many will also have a middle ear infection.  

Nasal obstruction from allergies becomes worse with the gradual enlargement of the adenoid tissue and the tonsils.

Enlarged Tonsils and Adenoids will cause:

• Mouth breathing
• Bad breath
• Sleep problems
• Worse ear infections
• Chronic sore throats

Ear Infections are very common in young children. They are either viral and will resolve on their own or bacterial and should be treated with antibiotics. Sometimes, ear infections and/or fluid in the middle ear may become a chronic problem leading to other issues, such as; hearing loss or behavior and speech problems. 

Ear tubes are recommended for chronic middle ear infections or the presence of middle ear fluid for more than 3 months.

Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is when a child’s breathing is obstructed during sleep.  The body perceives this as a choking phenomenon.  The heart rate slows, the sympathetic nervous system stimulated, blood pressure rises, the brain is aroused, and sleep is disrupted.

Symptoms:

• Snoring
• Obstructions to breathing, gasping, snorting, and thrashing in bed
• Bedwetting
• Inattentiveness, and disruptive both at home and at school
• Lacks energy

Enlarged tonsils are the most common cause for SDB, thus a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy is the most effective treatment for pediatric sleep disordered breathing.

Acid Reflux with Children

Caused when the rings of muscle (sphincter) at each end of the esophagus does not work properly by keeping the stomach acids in the stomach.  This causes a backflow of acidic content in your esophagus or all the way to your throat.

Two different kinds:

1.) Laryngopharygeal Reflux (LPR)

2.) Gastro-Esophageal Reflux (GERD)

LPR

Stomach acids reflux all the way up to the throat and sometimes the back of the nasal airway. 

Symptoms of LPR in Children:

• Chronic cough
• Hoarseness
• Noisy breathing
• Croup
• Asthma
• Sleep disordered breathing
• Spiting up
• Feeding difficulty
• Turning blue
• Aspiration
• Pauses in breathing (apnea)

GERD

Stomach acids reflux into the esophagus

Symptoms of GERD in Children:

• Stomach aches
• Chest pain (heartburn)
• Poor appetite and swallowing difficulties
• Regurgitation
• Sore throat
• Hoarseness
• Apnea
• Asthma/wheezing
• Chronic sinusitis
• Ear infections/fluid
• Dental caries