ENT conditions (Mr Gaurav Kumar)

  Why is fluid, pus, or Blood Coming from My Child’s Ear? A Parent’s Guide to Ear Discharge Seeing fluid coming from your child’s ear can be worrying. The discharge may be clear, yellow, creamy, green, smelly or slightly blood-stained. Some children have significant ear pain before the discharge appears. Others seem surprisingly comfortable once the ear starts to drain. Parents often ask the same urgent question: “Has my child’s eardrum burst?” Sometimes the answer is yes. A middle-ear infection can cause pressure to build behind the eardrum until a small perforation develops, allowing infected fluid to drain out. However, this is not the only cause of ear discharge. The fluid may instead be coming from the ear canal, through a grommet, from irritated skin, or from another ear condition. The appearance of the discharge alone cannot always identify the cause. Mr Gaurav Kumar, Consultant ENT Surgeon, assesses children with ear, hearing and other paediatric ENT concerns from London, E...

  My Child Failed a Hearing Test – What Happens Next? A Parent’s Guide to Children’s Hearing Tests Being told that your child has not passed a hearing test can be unsettling. You may immediately wonder whether your child has permanent hearing loss, whether their speech or learning will be affected, or whether they will need treatment. The first thing to understand is that not passing a hearing screening test does not automatically mean that your child has permanent hearing loss . A screening test is designed to identify children who need a more detailed assessment. Some children have a temporary hearing problem. Others may have difficulty completing the test reliably because they are tired, distracted, nervous or simply too young to understand what they need to do. However, hearing is important for communication, speech development, learning and interaction with others, so a failed screening result should be followed up appropriately rather than ignored. Mr Gaurav Kumar, Co...

When Are Big Tonsils a Problem? A Parent's Guide to Enlarged Tonsils in Children Many parents are told during a routine GP visit, "Your child has very large tonsils." The next question is almost always: "Do they need removing?" The answer is not always. Some children have naturally large tonsils that never cause any problems. Others develop breathing difficulties, disturbed sleep, repeated infections or poor school performance because their enlarged tonsils partially block the airway. Understanding the difference helps parents make informed decisions. As a Consultant ENT Surgeon seeing children across London, East London, Brentwood and Essex , one of the commonest questions I hear is: "How do I know whether my child's tonsils are normal or actually causing problems?" This guide explains exactly what parents should look for.   What Are Tonsils? Tonsils are part of the body's immune system. They sit on either side of...