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Pediatric mastoiditis
Pediatric mastoiditis (mas·toid·itis) is inflammation and infection of the mastoid bone, located in the middle ear. It usually occurs as a complication of a middle ear infection.
What is pediatric mastoiditis?
Mastoiditis is a complication of a middle ear infection (otitis media) that happens when the mastoid bone becomes inflamed or infected. Your child’s mastoid bone is a part of the temporal bone, located in the middle ear.
The mastoid bone is important to the drainage of the middle ear, so if your child has a middle ear infection, it can lead to mastoiditis. Mastoiditis infections can range from mild to severe and life-threatening.
What are the signs and symptoms of pediatric mastoiditis?
- Ear drainage
- Ear pain, usually behind the ear
- Fever
- Headache
- Hearing loss
- Irritability
- Redness behind the ear
- Swelling of the earlobe
What are the causes of pediatric mastoiditis?
The bacteria from a middle ear infection can affect the cells in the mastoid, causing mastoiditis.
Risk factors
Your child is at a higher risk for developing mastoiditis if they have recently had a middle ear infection.
