A toddler is diagnosed with acute otitis media following an upper respiratory tract infection. The practical nurse (PN) explains to the parent that the predisposition for otitis media in young children is related to which difference as compared to adults?

A. Most young children have poor immunity against ear infections: Immunity develops over time, but this is not the main reason for increased risk. B. The exposure to other children with URIs is more frequent: True, but not the primary anatomical reason. C. Eustachian tubes in young children are shorter and straighter than in the adult: This allows pathogens to travel easily from nasopharynx to middle ear. D. The inner ear offers little protection from infection: The middle, not inner ear, is affected in otitis media.