As the cause of glue ear isn't fully understood, there is no known way of preventing the condition. However, there are steps that can be taken to reduce two of the known risk factors for children.
These steps include:
- your baby being breastfed
- making sure your child isn't raised in a smoky environment, and avoiding close contact with smokers (passive smoking)
Passive smoking
It is unclear why passive smoking increases the risks of developing glue ear. It may be that the smoke irritates the lining of the Eustachian tube, causing it to become inflamed.
Not smoking around your children also has many other important health benefits, including:
- reducing the risk of developing asthma
- reducing the risk of developing a chronic lung condition in adulthood
- reducing the risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), which is also known as cot death
If you are a smoker, always try to smoke outside your house. Smoking in another room can still affect your children’s health because the smoke can easily travel from one room to another, and the toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke can stay in the air for several hours.
If you decide to stop smoking, your GP will be able to refer you to an NHS Stop Smoking Service, which will provide you with dedicated help and advice about the best ways to give up smoking. You can also call the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 022 4332 (7am to 11pm). The specially trained helpline staff will be able to offer you free expert advice and encouragement.
If you are committed to giving up smoking but you don't want to be referred to a stop-smoking service, your GP should be able to prescribe medical treatment to help with any withdrawal symptoms that you may experience after giving up.
For more information about giving up smoking, see treatment for quitting smoking and stop smoking.
Breastfeeding
As with passive smoking, it is uncertain why breastfeeding reduces the risk of glue ear. One theory is that breast milk contains proteins that help to reduce inflammation inside the Eustachian tube.
Read more about the benefits of breastfeeding.
