Effects Of Recurrent Otitis Media Research Articles

The Effect of Age and History of Recurrent Otitis Media on Dichotic Listening and Verbal Memory in Children

To explore the possible effects of recurrent otitis media (ROM) in early childhood on binaural processing and verbal memory in school-aged children. Two hundred eleven children, including 31 children with and 180 children without a history of ROM, were examined. A dichotic digit test (DDT) and a forward and backward digit memory span test (DMST) were administered. A significant difference was observed between age groups among ROM-free children. The ROM-positive group earned significantly poorer results than the ROM-free group in all measurements, except for the right DDT (rDDT) score. Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between the DDT and EA scores with both DMST scores in the ROM-free group. The correlation between the rDDT and forward DMST scores was not significant in the ROM-positive group, and no significant correlation was observed between the EA score and either DMST score. Our findings support that a history of OM in early childhood based on a parental survey of children is associated with differences in DDT and DMST outcomes.

Effect of Recurrent Otitis Media on Language Profile in Children with Fragile X Syndrome

ObjectiveLanguage is almost always affected in fragile X syndrome (FXS), and a delay in language acquisition is one of the first characteristics. The aim of this work was to study the effect of recurrent middle ear infections on the language profile in boys with FXS. Study design: Prospective case series.SettingAcademic Medical Center.Subjects and MethodsThe present study was conducted on 30 males, ranging in age from 4–10 years. They were diagnosed as having a full mutation of DNA. The males were divided into two groups: Group A included 15 children with a history of recurrent middle ear infections more than four times per year during the first 4 years of life, and Group B did not have a history of recurrent middle ear infections during the first 4 years of life. Language assessments were done for all participants using the Standardized Arabic Language test.ResultsResults showed significant delays in language development in children with FXS. Relative strengths in semantics compared to syntax and pragmatics were observed in all boys. The recurrent ear infections of the boys played an important role in the language development delay. The mean of receptive, expressive, and total language age was better and higher among boys without a history of recurrent middle ear infections compared to boys with recurrent middle ear infections.ConclusionRecurrent otitis media in boys with FXS exacerbates the language problems that exist in this syndrome.

Hearing loss in young adults who had ventilation tube insertion in childhood.

It is known that insertion of ventilation tubes can cause damage to the tympanic membrane and hearing deterioration in the long-term. To investigate long-term effects of recurrent otitis media and of ventilation tube insertion, we used a study group (n = 358 subjects), with or without a history of otitis media and/or ventilation tube insertion, derived from a birth cohort that had been followed for 16 years. At 18 years of age, a standardized audiometric and otoscopic examination was performed. We found that ventilation tube insertion in childhood was associated with a mean persistent hearing loss in young adults of about 5 to 10 dB at the group level with a sensorineural component of 3 to 4 dB. This hearing loss could not be explained by the disease load of otitis media in childhood. Repeated insertions of ventilation tubes caused a greater deterioration of hearing than did a single insertion. Structural changes of the tympanic membrane were a mediating factor in the causal relationship between ventilation tube insertion and hearing loss. We conclude that ventilation tube insertion in childhood may induce hearing deterioration in the long-term.

Speech perception abilities of children with and without histories of recurrent otitis media: an overview

AbstractThis paper provides an overview of the effect of recurrent otitis media (ROM) on speech reception abilities in children. Presently, researchers are divided in opinion as to whether children with histories of ROM will have delayed speech and language development when compared to their normal hearing peers without a history of ROM. Some researchers have suggested that children with and without ROM perform similarly in speech reception tasks, but others hold a different view. The speech material for the speech perception tests they used included nonsense syllables, monosyllabic words, and sentences presented in conditions with and without background noise. The findings from these studies did not give a clear indication of the ROM effect on children's speech reception. Essentially, the indeterminate and conflicting findings of these studies may be the result of differences in experimental design, speech material, methodological procedures used, and the age of children given the small effect size. By u...

On the sequelae of recurrent otitis media (ROM): a review and a proposed model

The literature on the effects of recurrent otitis media (ROM) on speech perception and production, language development and educational attainment is reviewed. Although these effects may be severe in some cases, they appear relatively moderate in the aggregate. Generally, the effects are most marked up to three years of age and are weaker thereafter. It appears that much of the earlier work on the effects of ROM was mainly concerned with establishing a statistical association between ROM and its apparent consequences. It is argued that such statistical links are not enough, because they do not present a causal model. Detail of the linguistic and cognitive steps by which ROM produces its effects is needed. A model for such a progression is presented, and considered in discussion of the published evidence. It is argued that the intermittent mild conductive hearing loss produced by ROM results in inconsistent perception of both phonemes and morpho-phonemes, which are thus weakly imprinted on neural reception areas. The likely consequences are central auditory processing problems and impaired development of the lexicon, producing difficulties in receptive and expressive language, and in cognition. There may ensue problems in metalanguage and metacognition, leading to impoverished academic attainment through poor reading, writing and spelling abilities, poor speech production, and problems with pragmatics and social behaviour. It is concluded that, in managing ROM, a priority is to detect and remediate the condition in infancy, though cost-effectiveness considerations may argue otherwise.

Effects of recurrent otitis media in infancy on auditory perception and speech

Introduction: Recurrent otitis media is commonly encountered in children before 3 years of age. Conductive hearing loss up to 40 dB is frequently associated with suppurative otitis media. Good hearing is believed to be critical to the development of normal language. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of recurrent otitis media on auditory perception and speech. Patlents and Methods: The experimental group consisted of 33 children with a history of at least three episodes of acute otitis media before 2 years of age. A control group of 29 children experienced one or fewer episodes of otitis media in the first 2 years of age. At the time of investigation, all children were 8 to 10 years of age and had attended similar pre-school, kindergarten, and elementary school programs. None showed evidence of mental retardation nor behavioral or emotional disorders. Speech ability was assessed by a battery of tests specific for Slovene language. Subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children were used as well as the Reading and Writing Test. Results: Auditory perception disorders were evident in 88% of children investigated who had a history of at least three episodes of otitis media by 2 years of age. Decreased auditory stimulation during the time of auditory maturation could prevent the development of these function completely. No statistically significant differences were observed in the development of articulation. These observations underscore the importance of early management of recurrent otitis media during the first 2 years of age.