Researchers at King's College London have uncovered how the human ear is formed, giving clues as to why children are susceptible to infections such as glue ear. The work was funded by the UK Medical Research Council and published today in the journal Science.
It is estimated that one in five children around the age of two will be affected by glue ear, a build-up of fluid in the middle ear chamber. This part of the ear contains three tiny bones that carry sound vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear.
When fluid builds up in the chamber, this prevents the three bones from moving freely so they cannot pass sound vibrations to the inner ear, causing temporary hearing loss. Until now, little was known about why some children appear much more prone than others to developing chronic ear problems, with repeated bouts of glue ear.
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