ENT conditions (Mr Gaurav Kumar)

  What Is the Tiny Hole in Front of My Child’s Ear? A Parent’s Guide to Preauricular Pits You may have noticed it soon after your baby was born. Or perhaps you have only just spotted it while washing their hair. A  tiny, pin-sized hole sits  just in front of the ear . It can look so neat that some parents initially wonder whether somebody has somehow pierced the ear. Other parents notice exactly the same tiny opening on themselves or another relative. Then comes the understandable question: “Why does my child have a little hole beside their ear?” In many children, the explanation is something called a preauricular pit , also known as a preauricular sinus . The reassuring news is that an isolated preauricular pit is usually just a small difference in how the outer ear formed before birth. Many never cause any problem at all. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Occasionally, however, the tiny tract beneath the opening can become infected. That is when parents may suddenly n...

  My Child Swallowed a Coin or Small Object — What Should I Do? It can happen incredibly quickly. Your toddler is playing happily. You look away for a moment. Then a coin, bead, or small toy part on the floor has disappeared. Your child points towards their mouth. Perhaps they cough once. And suddenly you are asking: “Have they swallowed it?” The reassuring news is that many small, blunt objects that reach the stomach pass naturally through a child's digestive system without causing harm . NHS hospital guidance confirms that coins, small plastic items and small toys commonly pass without intervention. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust But there is an important exception. Some swallowed objects can cause serious injury even when a child initially appears completely well. In particular: BUTTON BATTERIES and MAGNETS need urgent medical assessment. So the first question is not simply: “Did my child swallow something?” It is: “WHAT did they swallow?” First: is my child choking? Swallow...

  Sore Throat and a Sandpaper Rash? Could My Child Have Scarlet Fever or Strep A? Your child comes home complaining that their throat hurts. By evening, they have a temperature. Their neck glands may feel swollen. Then you notice something else. A fine rash has appeared across their chest or tummy. It does not necessarily look dramatic—but when you run your hand gently over it, the skin feels unusually rough. Almost like sandpaper . For many parents, particularly after recent publicity around Strep A, the immediate question is: “Could this be scarlet fever?” Scarlet fever is an infection caused by Group A Streptococcus , often shortened to Group A Strep or Strep A . It mainly affects children and usually responds well to appropriate antibiotic treatment. The key is recognising the pattern and arranging a medical assessment, rather than trying to diagnose the rash from an internet photograph alone. What is scarlet fever? Scarlet fever is caused by Group A Streptococcus bacteria. The...

  Why Does My Child Keep Getting Sinus Infections? Is It Really Sinusitis? “My child has another sinus infection.” It is something parents understandably say when a child seems to move from one episode of: blocked nose → runny nose → green mucus → cough straight into the next. Perhaps they improve for a few days and then start again. Perhaps they have already received antibiotics several times. Eventually, the obvious question is: “Why does my child keep getting sinusitis?” But there is another question worth asking first: “Are all these episodes actually sinus infections?” Children have frequent viral respiratory infections, particularly when attending nursery or school. Those infections can produce congestion, thick mucus and cough—the same symptoms parents often associate with “sinusitis”. True recurrent or persistent sinusitis does occur in children. But green mucus alone does not diagnose a bacterial sinus infection , and most short-lived episodes do not automatic...