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Child Headphones Too Loud? Safe Listening ENT Guide | London & Essex

  Is My Child Using Headphones Too Loudly? A Parent’s Guide to Safe Listening Headphones have become part of everyday childhood. Children use them for tablets, music, gaming, schoolwork, online videos, audiobooks, long car journeys, flights, and quiet time at home. For parents, this raises an important question: could my child’s headphones be too loud? The concern is sensible. Exposure to loud sounds can affect hearing, especially when repeated over time. The risk is not just about one loud moment. It is also about how loud the sound is, how long the child listens, how often they listen, and whether they are trying to drown out background noise. Mr Gaurav Kumar, Consultant ENT Surgeon , assesses children with ear, hearing, and paediatric ENT concerns from London, East London, Brentwood, Romford, Ilford, Redbridge, Chelmsford, and the wider Essex area. This guide explains why safe listening matters, how parents can reduce risk, and when a child may need a hearing test or ENT review....
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Allergic rhinitis can affect school and athletics performance

 Allergic rhinitis, also known as hay fever, is a common condition that affects many people, including school-aged children and young athletes. The condition is caused by an allergic reaction to certain substances, such as pollen, dust mites, or pet dander, which can trigger inflammation in the nasal passages and other parts of the body.   For children and young athletes, allergic rhinitis can have a significant impact on their academic and athletic performance, as well as their overall quality of life. Here are some ways in which allergic rhinitis can affect school and athletics performance:   Difficulty concentrating: Allergic rhinitis can cause symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, and itchy eyes, which can make it difficult for children to concentrate in school. This can lead to poor academic performance, lower grades, and decreased motivation to learn.   Fatigue and sleep disturbances: Allergic rhinitis can also cause fatigue and sleep disturbances,...
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Loss of smell (Anosmia)

What causes loss of smell?   Sense of smell is vital to us. Loss of sense of smell is most commonly due to a cold or flu. Patients who suffer from sinus infections or hay fever can have intermittent loss of smell. In some cases, due to growth, such as nasal polyps or, in rare cases, a tumour can affect the sense of smell. These conditions can either lead to a total loss of smell, reduced sense of smell, altered smell or a sensation of smell when it is not there. Why do we lose the sense of smell in COVID-19 or Coronavirus infection? Coronavirus has been well-known to cause flu-like symptoms. COVID 19 is a type of coronavirus, so WHO has stated loss of smell as a possible symptom of COVID 19. In some cases, COVID-19 infection can affect nerve endings, resulting in Anosmia symptoms. Return of sense of smell depends on how these nerve endings regenerate. Should I be worried about the loss of sense of smell? The loss of sense of smell can be due to COVID infection. There can be other c...
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Cough in Children

                                      What causes a cough in children? Coughing is a protective reflex of the body due to irritation of the airway. If the cough lasts more than 4-8 weeks or if after four weeks the cough is becoming worse, then it can be worrying. A persistent cough can affect the quality of the life of a child, including, schooling, sleep and appetite. Common causes of persistent cough could be allergy/hay fever, postnasal drip, large tonsil, gastro-oesophageal reflux or asthma. Rare causes include foreign body inhalation or psychogenic. Evolving evidence is dry cough on its own is rarely a symptom of asthma.  What are two essential things to understand about chronic cough in a child? Causes of chronic cough are different from adults  Management of chough in children if different from adults and parents and clinician need to understand this. What should I write dow...
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Nasal Endoscopy

Can Nasal endoscopy help tailor your treatment for your nasal symptoms?  Having nasal congestion or blockage can affect your quality of life. A blocked nose can be due to lots of factors. It can be as simple as nasal polyps, deviated septum or due to allergy. In rare cases, nasal tumours can cause nasal obstruction. When should I see ENT doctor for nasal endoscopy? Your doctor may recommend having nasal endoscopy if you have symptoms like nasal congestion or blockage, loss of smell, nose bleed, postnasal drip or catarrh, facial pain or headaches. Can Nasal Endoscopy pick up cancer? Nasal endoscopy can be used to examine nasal cavity, back of the nose, voice box and upper food pipe in some cases. During nasal endoscopy with the use of "Narrow Band Imaging" can help pick up early cancer changes. Narrow Band imaging uses a special filter which allows to pick up abnormal vessels on the mucosa, which is covering our nose and gullet.  What is inv...
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Thinking of having sinus surgery.....

ENDOSCOPIC SINUS SURGERY WHY DO I NEED SINUS SURGERY? Sinus surgery is needed if your sinus symptoms do not respond to medical treatment and lifestyle changes. It is important to understand that you may still need medical treatment in the form of irrigation with/ without steroid spray. You should discuss this in detail with your operating surgeon during your preop consultations. WHAT ARE COMPLICATIONS OF SINUS SURGERY? It is very important to discuss possible complications of surgery and how it impacts your quality of life and profession. • Bleeding - Bleeding is a risk of any operation.  It is very common for small amounts of bleeding to come from the nose in the days following the operation.  Major bleeding is extremely uncommon and it is very rare for a transfusion to be required. • Eye problems - The sinuses are very close to the wall of the eye socket.  Sometimes minor bleeding can occur into the eye socket and this is usually noticed as some ...
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