Glue ear affects around 8 in 10 children before the age of 10. For many, it clears up on its own. But for some children, it can mean months of hearing difficulties, disrupted sleep, delayed communication and repeated hospital appointments.
While treatments are available, researchers still don’t fully understand why some children develop persistent glue ear. RNID-funded research is helping to uncover the underlying causes and could one day lead to non-surgical treatments.
Lilly’s story
Louise Patterson is a mum of two from Manchester, whose 14-month-old daughter Lilly has glue ear. Her newborn hearing screening recorded no clear result. After follow-up appointments and a long wait, Lilly was diagnosed with glue ear at 10 months old.
Louise says:
I knew something wasn’t right when Lilly wasn’t responding to her name and was pulling at her ears, crying and waking up in pain night after night. After months of chasing promised appointments, we were told that at 10 months old Lilly had moderate hearing loss caused by glue ear.
She was given hearing aids which made an incredible difference at first and hearing her say her first word just two weeks later was incredibly emotional. While the hearing aids have helped, Lilly is still very young, so she needs constant supervision while wearing them, and the glue ear continues to affect her.”
Louise says the condition affects far more than Lilly’s hearing, causing pain, disrupted sleep and regular hospital appointments that impact family life.
‘Watch and wait’ is what we hear. They think the summer will help but this will be Lilly’s second summer and I’m not sure it will make a difference. There’s a misconception that glue ear will just drain away in time, but sometimes this doesn’t happen.
Research like this into non-surgical treatments could make a huge difference for families like ours. Waiting lists are long and surgery is not always an option for every family, so any new way to potentially help children with glue ear is incredibly important.”
Why do some children get glue ear?
Lilly’s story highlights the impact glue ear can have on children and their families. But why do some children develop glue ear while others don’t? Researchers are searching for answers.
Scientists know that glue ear occurs when fluid becomes trapped behind the eardrum, but they still don’t fully understand why it develops in some children or why the condition sometimes persists.
Researchers believe the immune system may provide important clues, particularly the adenoids, a mass of tissue at the back of the nose that helps the body fight infection. Understanding what goes wrong in this process could pave the way for treatments that address the root cause of glue ear and reduce the need for surgery.
What is research revealing about glue ear?
One of the biggest challenges in understanding glue ear has been the lack of realistic laboratory models.
Research led by Dr Michael Mather at Newcastle University helped overcome this challenge by developing laboratory models using adenoid tissue from children. These models closely mimic what happens in the body and give researchers a way to study how infections and immune responses may contribute to glue ear.
Building on this research, Mr Jason Powell and his team at Newcastle University have been awarded an RNID Discovery Research Grant. Early findings from the team suggest the immune system may hold important clues about why glue ear develops.
Dr Michael Mather, co-investigator on the study, says:
Early evidence suggests there could be a common localised immune dysfunction that explains why so many children develop persistent glue ear.”
The role of the immune system
Researchers believe that, in some children, the adenoids may not respond to infections as effectively as they should. This could trigger inflammation, leading to the build-up of fluid behind the eardrum and the development of glue ear.
Using advanced models of both the adenoids and the middle ear, the team will explore how children with glue ear respond to germs and whether these responses can be improved.
Understanding these immune responses could help researchers identify new ways to prevent glue ear from developing or becoming persistent.
Could this lead to non-surgical treatments?
The researchers will investigate whether restoring normal immune function could prevent the inflammation that leads to glue ear developing in the first place.
If the team can identify the biological mechanisms driving glue ear, it could open the door to the first targeted non-surgical treatments for the condition. This could reduce the need for surgery and provide earlier, more effective support for children and families.
Mr Jason Powell says:
Current treatments for glue ear can help many children, but they do not address the underlying cause of the condition. If we can identify the mechanisms driving the condition, we may be able to develop the first targeted, non-surgical treatment, offering new hope to thousands of children and families.”
Looking to the future
For families like Louise and Lilly’s, better understanding of why glue ear develops could eventually lead to treatments that reduce the need for surgery and help children receive support earlier.
While there is still much to learn, RNID-funded researchers are building the knowledge needed to transform glue ear treatment. This could mean fewer invasive treatments, faster access to effective support and better outcomes for children and families in the future.
Help fund life-changing research
RNID-funded research is helping us better understand conditions like glue ear and could lead to new treatments for children and families. Donate today to help support more research into hearing loss, tinnitus and related conditions.