When it comes to pediatric ENT, one size definitely does not fit all. Child and adolescent ear, nose and throat issues, treatment and preventative care are all age-specific and even unique to each individual. Which is why visit to a specialized Tampa ent is necessary if your kids are suffering from minor or major problems. These can range from breathing difficulties and adenoiditis and adenoid hypertrophy to vocal cord paralysis.

Some common childhood ENT problems
Children are especially vulnerable to diseases and infections in the ear, nose and throat areas. Ear infections are common about young children and by the time they reach their third birthday, five kids out six, or 83%, will suffer from at least one ear infection.
For all kinds of childhood ENT problems, it’s best to see a pediatric specialist. Children aren’t just built smaller than adults, with smaller nasal passages, but they’re also different. For a whole range of childhood conditions, like vocal cord paralysis or tonsillitis, pediatric ENT treatment is the best option.
Some common childhood ENT diseases that can be treated by specialists include the following:

• Infections
  Sinus infections and ear infections are some of the most common pediatric ailments. To some extent this is because many environments like preschools and playgrounds are almost a merry-go-round of infections, passing them from one child to the next.
  By the time they are two years old, over 90% of all children have had at least one ear infection. By the time they’re tree years old, nearly all have had at least one ear infection, and almost one third or 30% of children have had more than three ear infections.

• Hearing loss
  As many as 40,000 babies are born each year with sensorineural hearing loss. That’s about one out of every thousand. Genetic causes are responsible for hearing loss in more than half, or 50% to 60% of children. In newborns, this can also be due to infections suffered by the mother during pregnancy, other environmental causes, and complications after birth.

• Tonsillitis
  Swollen or inflamed tonsils are a typical childhood ailment. Thirty years ago, the cure was to remove the tonsils altogether, in a procedure known as tonsillectomy. In 90% of the cases, it was done to prevent recurrent infection of the tonsils.
  At the present time, around 300-400,000 tonsillectomies are done each year, according to government statistics. But only around 20% of these are to prevent infection. The remainder are done to correct obstructive sleep problems (OSA).

• Sleep apnea
  Sleep apnea is a condition in which the nasal passages get blocked briefly during sleep. It can lead to exhaustion and general ill health, since the sufferer is not well rested. Around 2-4 % of all children suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
  Enlarged tonsils can increase the risk of sleep-disordered breathing in children. About 12% of all children snore and around 1-3% percent of also suffer from Sleep Disordered Breathing.

ENT specialists can treat a range of conditions from simple ear infections to complex problems like vocal cord paralysis and eardrum surgery.