Auditory temporal abilities in children with history of recurrent otitis media in the first years of life and persistent in preschool and school ages

Priscila Cruvinel Villa,Sthella Zanchetta

doi:10.1590/2317-1782/20142014008

Priscila Cruvinel Villa, Sthella Zanchetta

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/20142014008

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Abstract

To study the temporal auditory ordering and resolution abilities in children with and without a history of early OME and ROME, as well as to study the responses according to age. A total of 59 children were evaluated, and all of them presented pure tone thresholds within the normal range at the time of the conduction of the hearing tests. The children were divided into two groups according to the occurrence of episodes of recurrent otitis media. Then, each group was divided into two subgroups according to age: 7- and 8-year olds, and 9- and 10-year olds. All children were assessed with standard tests of temporal frequency (ordination) and gaps-in-noise (resolution). For the temporal abilities studied, children with a history of otitis media presented significantly lower results compared to the control group. In the frequency pattern test, the correct answers increased with age in both groups. In the identification of silence intervals, the control group showed no change in threshold regarding to age, but this change was present in the group with a history of otitis media. Episodes of otitis media with effusion in the first year of life, recurrent and persistent in preschool and school ages, negatively influence the temporal ordering and resolution abilities.

Highlights

Otitis media is considered common in childhood, but children who present recurrent episodes require special attention
Studies focus on the premise of interdependence between episodes of otitis media with effusion (OME) and the change in tone thresholds, called fluctuating conductive hearing loss, because 80% children diagnosed with OME exhibit this kind of loss that acts as a sensory deprivation[8,15]
In the study between the groups, considering the same age range among them, there was no difference, that is, SG1 compared to CG1, aged 7 and 8 years, and SG2 compared to CG2, aged 9 and 10 years

Summary

Introduction

Otitis media is considered common in childhood, but children who present recurrent episodes require special attention. Studies focus on the premise of interdependence between episodes of OME and the change in tone thresholds, called fluctuating conductive hearing loss, because 80% children diagnosed with OME exhibit this kind of loss that acts as a sensory deprivation[8,15] Another assumption concerns the critical period of maturation of the ANCS, because it is well documented that a greater likelihood of recurrence of OME is related to how early its first episode occurs, such as in the first years of life[17]. Special attention to periods referred as key on the maturation process of the ANCS is required, because experimental studies show structural and functional changes in synaptic relays that are important for sound processing, resulting from sensory deprivation due to middle ear disorders, such as in the cochlear nucleus, superior olive, and inferior colliculus[13,18]. These studies show evidence of the ability of the ANCS to establish new neural networks after periods of deprivation

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