Ear Infections in Children

Dr. Ali Ghahary is an experienced physician in Greater Vancouver, practicing at Burnaby’s Brentwood Medical Clinic – a combined family practice and walk-in clinic – where he sees patients ranging in age from elderly to infants. Children have accounted for over 80% of doctor visits in North America in the last year alone, with 5 out of 6 children in Canada having had at least one ear infection before they turn 3 years old, and it is one of the leading reasons for a parent to take their child to see a physician.

As most ear infections in children occur before they are able to fully speak, it is important to watch out for the signs and symptoms that may indicate that your child has developed an ear infection. These signs and symptoms include pain, constant tugging at the ears, unusual fussiness, difficulty sleeping, difficulty with balance, trouble hearing, and a fever.

Children are more prone to developing ear infections than adults due to their immune systems not being fully developed, thus making them unable to fight infections as well as adults. Eustachian tubes in children are also smaller than those in adults, which makes the drainage of ear fluid also difficult. Ear infections usually develop in children as a secondary infection and are commonly the result of a child having had a cold or other upper respiratory infection.

There are three types of ear infections, all with varying symptoms. The most common form of ear infection is Acute Otitis Media (AOM). AOM affects the middle ear, and usually results in it being swollen, causing fluid to get trapped behind the eardrum. A child with AOM will notice pain and may develop a fever. The second most common form of ear infection is Otitis Media with Effusion (OME). OME typically happens once an ear infection has been treated and is no longer present, but results in fluid remaining trapped behind the ear drum. There are usually no symptoms present with OME. Lastly, Chronic Otitis Media with Effusion (COME). This is a result of fluid remaining in and failing to drain from the middle ear, even when there is no infection present. However, Chronic Otitis Media can make it difficult to treat new ear infections that may develop, and can also have a significant impact a child’s hearing.

In order to diagnose whether or not your child may have an ear infection, Vancouver physicians like Dr. Ali Ghahary will ask a child’s parent or guardian a series of questions about their general health, and will also look in the child’s ear using a lighted instrument scientifically known as an Otoscope. Upon inspection, if the eardrum looks swollen or red, that is usually indicative that an infection is present. To treat the infection, Vancouver physicians will prescribe a course of antibiotics for 7 to 10 days – usually Amoxicillin – as well as recommend over-the-counter pain relievers such as Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen to help reduce pain, inflammation and ever. In cases where the physician is unable to make a definitive diagnosis of an infection, they may require that you wait a couple of days to see if the child’s symptoms improve. If the child is not better within 48 to 72 hours, then antibiotic therapy will be started. Once antibiotic therapy has begun, your child should begin to feel better within a few days time. If your child is still feeling unwell after approximately 3 days of being antibiotics, it is important to let your physician know as they may need to prescribe a different antibiotic.

In order to prevent ear infections it is important to practice good hygiene including frequent hand washing. It is also a good idea to get your child vaccinated against the flu, and to ensure that they are not around other sick children. For more information on the flu vaccine and ways to prevent bacterial infections, click here. Dr. Ali Ghahary can also be found on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

BC Children’s Hospital

Part of Dr. Ali Ghahary’s commitment as a physician in Vancouver is to ensure patients and their families receive exceptional healthcare from medical facilities in this Province, including BC Children’s Hospital – the only full-service, pediatric acute care hospital in British Columbia. In doing so, Dr. Ali Ghahary participates in the ‘Grind for kids’, an annual fundraiser by the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation in effort to raise funds so that they can continue to provide children in British Columbia and the Yukon with exemplary care.

http://instagram.com/alighahary

BC Children’s Hospital’s roots date back to 1923, when a fund was established for crippled children by the BC Women’s Institute in Vancouver. They continued to make groundbreaking achievements for pediatric care over the years, and in 1982 construction was completed for a $60 million, 29,730 square-metre, 250 acute-care bed facility. Since then, BC Children’s Hospital has continued to make advanced breakthroughs over the years, and is now home to approximately 90,000 patients and their families each year – operating 55 different clinics in its Ambulatory Care building. As many as 9,000 children and adolescents hospitalized at BC Children’s Hospital required surgery last year alone, with more than 1,000 children being admitted to the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit, and over 700 undergoing treatment for cancer.

In 2006, BC Children’s Hospital launched the ‘Healthy Buddies’ initiative in schools across the Province, which focused on health promotion by providing education on body image, nutrition and physical activity. In 2006, BC Children’s Hospital launched an all-new mental health building as part of their Child Youth & Mental Health program, funded in part by the Government as well as donations. This Vancouver-based facility provides long-term psychiatric care and eating disorder programs, receiving over 25,000 outpatient visits from children and adolescents up to the age of 18.

As healthcare continues to progress over the years, the top priority of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is to ensure that the are up-to-date with today’s technology and treatment availability, and with $150 million contributed by donors they are currently in the process of building a brand-new Children’s Hospital – the Teck Acute Care Centre – a modern diagnostic facility in Vancouver that will be better able to manage the needs of children with chronic conditions such as cystic fibrosis and cancer, as well as complex surgeries. The Teck Acute Care Centre will also be able to better accommodate families by providing them with private rooms rather than open-wards.

For more information on BC Children’s Hospital and how you can donate, visit http://bcchf.ca.

You can also find Dr. Ghahary on Instagram at http://instagram.com/alighahary and Twitter at http://twitter.com/dralighahary.

Canadians With Kidney Disease

According to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, an estimated 2.6 million Canadians either have kidney disease or are at risk of developing chronic kidney disease in the future. There are many factors that can lead to one developing kidney disease, such as smoking and a family history of kidney disease, with diabetes and RVD (Renal Vascular Disease) being the two leading causes of kidney failure.

Diabetes is a condition where the body is unable to produce any/enough insulin, which causes an increase in the levels of glucose found in the blood. RVD, otherwise known as Renal Vascular Disease, refers to an array of complications that affect the circulation of blood in the kidneys, which can ultimately cause damage to the tissues of the kidneys, cause high blood pressure, and even lead to kidney failure.

While treatment of kidney disease is usually dependent on any underlying causes, physicians in and around Vancouver’s lower mainland, including Dr. Ali Ghahary at Brentwood Medical Clinic in Burnaby, British Columbia, will usually send patients for simple blood tests or urinalysis to see how the kidneys are functioning. These tests also play a key role in early detection. Treatment of kidney disease will consist of a combination of medications used to help control the symptoms.

As kidney disease can elevate levels of blood pressure and cholesterol, medications are often prescribed to help combat this. Individuals may also suffer from anemia as a result of kidney disease, so supplements of the hormone known as Erythropoietin containing iron will also commonly be prescribed. This will help to relieve tiredness and weakness that is also often associated with kidney disease. Calcium and Vitamin D supplements may also be recommended to prevent the risk of fracture and weak bones that may develop over time, as well as introducing a diet that is low in protein to avoid the kidneys having to overwork themselves.

A team of doctors from British Columbia, including Dr. Andrea Levin, the head of the Division of Nephrology at Vancouver’s University of British Columbia, are currently leading one of Canada’s biggest efforts to improve the type of care those with kidney disease receive by exploring better screening options, especially for those at an increased risk of developing kidney disease, diet education, as well as well as research on drugs that can slow the progression of kidney disease.