Some Children are More Likely than Others to Get Ear Infections

All children are susceptible to ear infections, but some children are more likely to get them than are others. According to the Mayo Clinic, those children most at risk include:

• Boys
• Children attending child-care centers
• Children whose siblings have a history of recurrent ear infections
• Children with a family history of asthma, allergies or eczema
• Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke
• American Indian, Alaskan-Eskimo or Canadian-Eskimo children, who may be more susceptible because of the shape of their eustachian tubes