Reading performance in children with otitis media

Abstract

To examine whether middle ear diseases and the associated hearing loss in early childhood affect reading performance later at school. One hundred and sixty children, 6.5 to 8 years of age, were enrolled in this study: 80 children with a history of recurrent infections and/or prolonged periods of effusions of the middle ear before the age of 5 years, and 80 healthy children without any history of middle ear disease. Data were collected from the medical records of the children. Every child underwent a complete otological and audiological evaluation, followed by special reading tests. The study group performed more poorly, in all reading tests, as compared to the controls ( P < 0.001). Children with recurrent or prolonged middle ear diseases during the first five years of life tend to be at greater risk for delayed reading than aged-matched controls with no previous middle ear diseases.