Q: My 4-1/2 yr old daughter, had cold & coughsince the past three weeks. By medication the cough has subsided, but the cold continues and has a stuffy discharge from the nose. Over the last one week we noticed that she appears unable to hear sounds at low volumes, which was not the case before. Her speech and audio have been normal, and so were her milestones since birth. Our family doctor has found that she has enlarged adenoids for her age, she breathes thru her mouth. Is this situation of short hearing due to the cold ( temporary phase)? Could it be that an individuals hearing capacity drops down at such an early age?

A:Your daughter has probably developed Otitis media with effusion which sometimes complicates prolonged colds in children. This condition impliescollection of fluid in the middle ear cavity thus impairing hearingtemporarily. You could try giving her a decongestant like Sinarest AF 2/3tsf. three times a day for 2 weeks and put some nose drops like OtrivinPediatric nose drops 1-2 drops in each nostril twice a day to let the earfluid spontaneously drain in to the nose. You could also give her onechewing gum a day to open up the eustachian tube a draining channel thatruns between the middle ear and the nasal cavity. This condition is selflimited but if it does not get better in 3 months on its own then doctorsadvise removal of the adenoids and insertion of ventilating tubes calledgrommets in the ear