Prevalence Of Acute Otitis Media Research Articles

Prevalence of acute otitis media in a tertiary care center of Assam

Background: Otitis media is infection of the middle ear cleft, which comprises acute and chronic otitis media and otitis media with effusion. Acute otitis media (AOM) is the second most prevalent pediatric emergency. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of AOM cases reported to the ENT OPD. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary care center of Assam from January 2021 to December 2022. A total of 840 patients from a wide range of socioeconomic strata were included in the study who belong to Upper Assam, parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland region. Results: Majority (25.8%) of the patients were below the age of 10 years. The age group of 31–40 years (25.2%) was next in line. In the age range of 71–80 years, the least number of patients (0.3%) were observed. The majority (53.09%) of the patients were from Dibrugarh district of Assam. Conclusion: This study has brought to light the prevalence of AOM in this region and the need for the health department to raise public understanding of the significance of a healthy lifestyle in the prevention of AOM, early diagnosis, and treatment.

Social distancing cut down the prevalence of acute otitis media in children.

To evaluate the additional, unintended benefits of social distancing in cutting down the prevalence of acute otitis media (AOM) in children, especially during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) periods. The daily outpatient attendance of AOM for childhood (from 6 months to 12 years) was compared in the tertiary hospital in Shanghai during pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 year. A total of 24,543 AOM cases were included from 2015 to 2020. When age was taken into account, children in kindergarten (aged 4-6) constitute 66.2% (16,236/24,543) of all case, followed by primary school students (6,441/24,543, 26.2%) and preschoolers <3 years old (1,866/24,543, 7.6%). There was an estimated 63.6% (54.32-70.36%) reduction in the daily outpatient attendance of AOM associated with the introduction of social distancing in 2020 (COVID-19 year). The epidemic trend of AOM in 2015-2019 was characterized by seasonal fluctuations, with highest incidence in December (18.8 ± 0.5%) and lower in February (4.5 ± 0.2%), June (3.7 ± 0.7%) and August (3.5 ± 0.5%). And distribution characteristics of different ages in COVID-19 period broadly in line with that in non-pandemic period. Seasonal fluctuation in the prevalence of AOM was observed in pre-COVID-19 period (2015-2019), with a peak in winter and a nadir in summer. The >50% drop of outpatient attendance of AOM in 2020 (COVID-19 year) suggest that social distancing, mask effects and good hand hygiene can significantly reduce the incidence of AOM, which provides a preventive and therapeutic point of view for AOM.

Acute Otitis Media-Associated Diarrhea in Children Less than 2 Years Old

Background: the reported incidence of diarrhea in non-enteric infections can be questioned because many cases of diarrhea are adverse events associated with antibiotics. Although it is well known that one of the none-enteric infections that has diarrhea as one of its manifestations is acute otitis media, its sometimes missed as a possible cause. Objectives: to estimate the prevalence of acute otitis media in children presented with diarrhea and to describe the characteristics of acute otitis media-associated diarrhea after exclusion of antibiotics use. Method: sixty patients (age &lt; 2 years) complaining from diarrhea as their chief complaint were included in this cross sectional study. Their ears had been examined using pneumatic otoscopy, looking for evidence of acute otitis media. Mother-directed specific questions related to the characters of diarrhea, constitutional symptoms, and associated symptoms had been used, in addition to laboratory stool exam. Results: patients involved in this study were 60, 22 (36.7%) females and 38 (63.3%) males. Their ages range from 1-19 months (8.31± 4.30). Acute otitis media was present in 27 cases (45%). There was significant association between acute otitis media-associated diarrhea and age under 1 year (p 0.017), underweight (p 0.012), and ear pain (p &lt;0.001). Conclusions: acute otitis media is a very possible diagnosis for any young baby presented with diarrhea, especially in underweight infant with ear pain, so pneumatic otoscopic ear examination is recommended to be a routine for them.

Otologic disorders and management strategies in Turner syndrome

Objective: To analyze the incidence and risk factors of otologic disorders in patients with Turner syndrome (TS), so as to provide management strategies for ear health. Methods: This study is a prospective study based on questionnaires and a cross-sectional study. The TS patients who visited our hospital from 2010 January to 2021 March were included (A total of 71 patients with TS were included in this study. the age of TS diagnosed was 3- to 11-year-old, age of visiting ENT department was 4- to 27-year-old) and the incidence of otologic diseases in different age groups was investigated by questionnaires. The cross-sectional study included ear morphology and auditory function assessment, and further analysis of the risk factors that related to ear disease. Prism was used for data analysis. Results: The investigation found that the incidence of acute otitis media in patients aged 3-6 and 7-12 years was higher than that of patients over 12 years old, which was 33.8%(24/71), 42.9%(30/70)and 23.5%(8/34), respectively; 21.1% (15/71) of patients were recurrent acute otitis media in patients aged 3-6 years, and about 46.6% (7/15)of them persisted beyond 6-year. The prevalence of otitis media with effusion in the three groups was 32.4%(23/71), 34.3%(24/70)and 38.2%(13/34), respectively; the recurrence rate of tympanocentesis was 100%(7/7), 42.9%(3/7)and 50.0%(1/2), which was significantly higher than that of grommet insertion. For age groups of 3-6 and 7-12 years, the prevalence of acute otitis media and secretory otitis media was lower in the X chromosome structure abnormal patients; while for patients older than 12 years, otitis media with effusion was the highest prevalence in Y-chromosome-containing karyotypes. In addition, the prevalence of acute otitis media and otitis media with effusion in patients with other system diseases were increased significantly. A cross-sectional study found that 7.0% (5/71)of the lower auricular, 4.2% (3/71)of the external auditory canal narrow, and 38.0% (27/71)of the tympanic membrane abnormality. 35.2%(25/71) had abnormal hearing, including 17 cases of conductive deafness, 6 cases of sensorineural hearing loss, and 2 cases of mixed deafness. The rest of the patients had normal hearing, but 6 of them had abnormalities in otoacoustic emission. Eustachian tube function assessment found that the eustachian tube dysfunction accounted for 38%(27/71). Hearing loss and abnormal Eustachian tube function were not significantly related to karyotype(Chi-square 2.83 and 2.84,P value 0.418 and 0.417), but significantly related to other system diseases(Chi-square 13.43 and 7.53,P value<0.001). Conclusions: The incidence of TS-related otitis media and auditory dysfunction is significantly higher than that of the general population. It not only occurs in preschool girls, but also persists or develops after school age. Accompanied by other system diseases are risk factors for ear diseases. Clinicians should raise their awareness of TS-related ear diseases and incorporate ear health monitoring into routine diagnosis and treatment.

Prevalence of Acute Otitis Media in Febrile Children at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Objective: To find out the prevalence of acute otitis media among febrile children presenting at a tertiary healthcare facility. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: The Department of Pediatrics, Chandka Medical College, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University, Larkana from 1st January 2021 to 30th June 2021. Material and Methods: A total of 118 children of both genders aged 2 to 11 years with fever (temp&gt;100.4 0F) for a minimum duration of 6 hours were included. Demographic data along with presenting symptoms were noted. Auroscopy/otoscopy was performed in all cases for the diagnosis of AOM. All the study data was entered into SPSS version 26.0 for statistical analysis. Results: In a total of 118 children, 67 (56.8%) were male. Mean age was noted to be 4.9±4.2 years (ranging between 2 to 12 years) and 62 (52.5%) children were aged between 2 to 5 years. Mean duration of fever was 6.20±1.7 days (ranging between 3 to 9 days) while 75 (63.6%) children had duration of fever above 5 days. Mean maximum reported fever was 103.04±1.1 0F. Irritability, dizziness, restlessness and diminished appetite were the most frequent symptoms noted in 98 (83.1%), 67 (56.8%), 61 (51.7%), and 58 (49.2%) patients respectively. The prevalence of AOM was observed in 27 (22.9%) febrile children. Conclusion: The prevalence of acute otitis media among febrile children was high. High index of suspicion for acute otitis media should be made whenever febrile children are presenting to pediatric healthcare facilities. Keywords: Acute otitis media, febrile, irritability, dizziness.

Prevalence of acute otitis media in children younger than four years

Abstract Background Acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the most common diseases in childhood, affecting approximately 50% of all children. The most common age range to develop AOM is 3–24 months, due to a current or recent upper respiratory tract infection, which induces the eustachian tube to develop fluid or secretion from the middle ear inflammation. The acute onset of symptoms in older children is characterized by otalgia and rubbing of the ear, however, AOM in younger children include nonspecific symptoms such as fever, irritability, or poor feeding, being unreliable guides to the diagnosis. Thus, the underdiagnosis of AOM can lead to serious complications include acute mastoiditis or meningitis. Hence, the study aims to investigate the prevalence of AOM in children younger than four years. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in a kindergarten, being enrolled children between 1 and 4 years. The protocol included otoscopy and tympanometry. Results A total of 23 children with a mean age of 2-year-old (SD = 0.88) were evaluated, with 17 children (34.8%) diagnosed with AOM, of whom 2 (15.4%) had unilateral alterations and 11 (84.6%) bilateral alterations. Conclusions AOM is one of the main childhood pathologies, affecting approximately 34.8% of younger children. Success in decreasing prevalence of AOM will depend on prevention of nasopharyngeal pathogen colonization, as well as decrease of viral upper respiratory tract infection, which can be reduced with nasal saline irrigation, a clinical and economic therapeutic approach.

Prevalence of Streptococcus Pneumonia and Haemophillus Influenza in primary school children that diagnosed acute otitis media

Acute otitis media (AOM) remains a disease that cause major public health problem worldwide. Less information about its prevalence in Indonesia, especially in Java. The most common bacterial causes of AOM are Streptococcus pneumoniae, non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis. There is increasing evidence that the predominant causative pathogen in AOM is changing from Streptococcus pneumoniae to non-typeable Haemophilus influenza since the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. This study aims to determine the prevalence of Streptococcus pneumonia and Haemophillus influenzae in AOM in primary school children in Banyumas Regency. The design of this study was cross sectional and we conducted multistage random sampling to recruit the subject. Approximately 3,574 school children in Urban Banyumas Regency were screened based on the diagnose of AOM by Otolaryngologist. The resultof this study showed that the prevalence of AOM was 4,64 % (166 children were diagnosed with AOM). In AOM samples, the prevalence of Streptococcus pneumonia was found in 78,4 % by optochin test, while that of Haemophillus influenzae was found in 70,4% based on the need of X and V factor

1394. Impact of 7-Valent and 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines in the United States: A Systematic Literature Review

BackgroundThe availability of 7-valent (PCV7) and 13-valent (PCV13) pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) in the United States (US) since 2000 and 2010, respectively, has substantially reduced the occurrence, morbidity and mortality of pneumococcal disease. This systematic literature review aimed to assess the impact of the PCVs in reducing the pneumococcal disease burden since their introduction.MethodsWe searched Embase and Medline and disease-surveillance websites for observational studies of US participants < 19 years, published 1999–2019 and reporting incidence or prevalence of acute otitis media, invasive pneumococcal disease, meningitis, or pneumococcal disease-related morbidity, mortality, healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) or costs.FigureSLR Results - PRISMA Flow ChartResultsOf 499 citations identified from the databases and other sources, 125 met inclusion criteria (Figure), all indicating clear reductions in multiple manifestations of pneumococcal disease with PCV7 and PCV13 use. However, variations across studies in outcomes reported, study years, and age strata, confounded assessment of vaccine impact on specific pneumococcal disease outcomes and key burden indicators, such as tympanostomy tube placement and antibiotic prescriptions.ConclusionPCVs have greatly decreased multiple manifestations of pneumococcal disease in the US. However, granular data on the frequency and morbidity associated with specific pneumococcal diseases and on associated HCRU are needed to quantify the public-health impact of these vaccines.Disclosures Kristin Kistler, PhD, Evidera, Inc. (Employee, Evidera, Inc. received the funding to conduct this study.) Evelyn F. Gomez-Espinosa, BSc, PhD, Evidera Inc (Employee, Scientific Research Study Investigator)Pfizer Inc (Consultant, Scientific Research Study Investigator) Kelly Sutton, PhD, Evidera (Other Financial or Material Support, Evidera, Inc. received the funding to conduct this study.) Ruth Chapman, MSc, PhD, Evidera, Inc, (Evidera, Inc. received the funding to conduct this study.) (Consultant) Desmond Dillon-Murphy, MSc, PhD, Evidera, Inc. (Evidera, Inc. received the funding to conduct this study.) (Consultant) Matthew Wasserman, MSc., Pfizer Inc. (Employee)

Infantile diarrhoea: Breast and bottle feeding compared with special reference to their clinical role

This study was conducted to evaluate a clinical presentation of diarrhoea in infants under 2 years of age, in relation to their types of feeding. It was found that the duration of diarrhoea in bottle-fed infants was significantly longer than in breast-fed ones. It was 7.2 ± 0.46 days in bottle-fed, compared to 5.5 ± 0.17 days in breast-fed infants.&#x0D; The prevalence of acute Otitis media and Rhinopharyngitis in bottle-fed infants under 1 year of age was higher than in breast-fed infants.f!owever,it was not so after 1 year of age.

Prevalensi Otitis Media Akut di RS Islam Siti Rahmah Padang Tahun 2017

Acute Otitis Media (OMA) is an acute inflammation of the middle ear that lasts less than three weeks. OMA is a common infectious disease at an early age and is a common reason for treatment. This infectious disease can be caused by many factors. This study aims to determine the prevalence of acute otitis media at Siti Rahmah Islamic Hospital in Padang. Method This type of research is descriptive retrospective using secondary data in the form of medical records. The study was conducted from July 2018 - January 2019 in the ENT section of the Siti Rahmah Islamic Hospital in Padang. The research subjects were 63 patients with Acute Otitis Media. This study reports the frequency distribution of research characteristics such as age, sex, stage, and infected ears. The result of this study report the prevalence of 63 patients with Acute Otitis Media. Based on age, the majority suffered at the age of five as many as 12 cases (19%). Based on gender, the majority of women suffered 35 cases (55.6%). Based on the stage, the most cases were at the stage of hyperemia 31 cases (49.2%). Based on the infected ear, the most cases were unilateral in 61 cases (96.8%). In this study the prevalence of acute otitis media in patients aged 0-5 years, female, hyperemic stage and unilateral infected ears were found.

Prevalence of Acute Otitis Media in North Sumatera Province, Indonesia

Acute Otitis Media (AOM) is the second most prevalent disease found in children after Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI). AOM prevalence varies in different countries, ranging between 2.3 - 20%. Epidemiological studies of AOM in developing countries are very rare. As of today, no prevalence data of AOM found in North Sumatera. Thus, there needs to be an epidemiological data to establish prevention strategy and treatment based on population profile. The objective of this study is to acquire prevalence data and patient profile of AOM in North Sumatera. This is a descriptive study with cross-sectional design. The study population is all the people living in North Sumatera Province who were selected through Simple Random Sampling in several chosen sub-districts. The inclusion criteria of this study is the total population who are willing to be the subject of this study. AOM patients was found as much as 37 of 1726 subjects. Therefore, the prevalence of AOM is 2.1%. Women comprise more of the group (51.4%). The most prevalent age group is 0-5 years old (45.9%). The most prevalent symptom is otalgia (37.8%). The prevalence of AOM in North Sumatera is 2.2%. There is a need for better ear care and screening program for early detection of this disease.

The Relevance of Using Topical Antiinfectives in the Combination Therapy of Acute Otitis Media in Children

The high prevalence of acute otitis media in children confirms the urgency of finding new treatment methods of the disease. In view of the problem of antibiotic resistance, the question of using topical antimicrobial preparations with high bioavailability and able to solve the problem of acute otitis media treatment at different stages of the disease is becoming particularly important.

Multi-Drug Resistant Acute Otitis Media amongst Children Attending Out-Patient Clinic in Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka, South-East Nigeria

Objective: The study assessed microbial etiology and multi-drug resistant profile of the pathogens isolated from children diagnosed of acute otitis media (AOM) at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka. Method: Ear swab samples were collected aseptically from 40 children that visited the children out-patient clinic of the hospital. The samples were cultured within 20 minutes of collection and the isolates identified microbiologically. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by Kirby-Bauer’s disc diffusion method. Results: A total of 2025 children visited the hospital during the study period and 40 (1.98%) had clinical diagnosis of acute otitis media. Ten (25%) of the 40 samples did not yield any microbial growth. Children aged ≤one year had the highest prevalence of AOM (55%). Staphylococcus aureus (34.9%) was the predominant bacteria isolate followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (30.2%) while Candida krusei (14%) was the predominant fungi isolate. All the bacterial isolates were resistant to ampicillin and coamoxiclav. Staphylococcus aureus isolates were marginally susceptible to gentamicin (60%) and sparfloxacin (73.3%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were resistant to ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, streptomycin, cefuroxime, erythromycin and azithromycin. Nystatin and voriconazole had comparable effect (60%) against the fungal isolates and fluconazole was ineffective. Conclusion: The incidence of multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria associated with acute otitis media in the pediatric patient was very high. Empiric treatment of the infection in the community should be discouraged. AOM preventive strategies should be targeted on the very young children to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Study of Effect of Household Parental Smoking on Development of Acute Otitis Media in Children Under 12 Years.

Background and Aim:High prevalence of acute otitis media (AOM) in children represents a combination of the factors developing eustachian tube dysfunction and higher susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections in children. This disease is relatively prevalent in Iran and much cost is spent annually to treat it. This study investigated the effect of household parental smoking on development of AOM in children under 12 years.Methods:In this case-control study all patients under the age of 12 years with AOM referring an ENT clinic in Shahrekord, southwest Iran between April 2014 and August 2014 were enrolled by convenience sampling. This study included two groups. Group 1 (G1) was exposed to parental smoking at home and group 2 (G2) was not. For the patients, a questionnaire of demographic data such as age and gender, the disease symptoms, parents’ education level, history of respiratory diseases, allergy, surgery (adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy, and tympanostomy), and household smoking was filled out by a specialist through interview.Results:In this study, 250 children 1-12 years with AOM, 145 in G1 and 105 in G2, were investigated. Clinical symptoms including fever (p=0.001) and hearing loss (p=0.014) were significantly more frequent in the children of G1 than G2, and otalgia, discharge, and tinnitus were similarly frequent in the two groups (p>0.05). Also, eardrum inflammation was more frequent in G1 than G2, with no significant difference (p>0.05). AOM was reported 70.3% in G1, which was higher than 26.7% reported in G2 (p=0.001). Also, asthma, recurrent ear pain, enlargement of the tonsils, and respiratory problems were more frequent in G1 than G2 (p<0.05).Conclusions:Parental smoking was a risk factor for AOM and respiratory problems and therefore the parents are recommended to avoid smoking near children to reduce the likelihood of AOM development and exacerbation in children.

Otitis Media and Its Sequelae in Kenyan Schoolchildren.

The goal of this study was to obtain representative Kenyan data on the point prevalence of acute otitis media (AOM) and its sequelae (otitis media with effusion [OME] and chronic suppurative otitis media [CSOM]), a major cause of preventable hearing loss in children in developing countries. In Africa, there are limited studies on the prevalence of AOM and its sequelae in children. Study subjects were children aged 2 to 15 years and were enrolled from randomly selected preprimary and primary schools. After parental or guardian consent, subjects had a questionnaire administered, otoscopy and tympanometry were done, and audiometry was performed on those with ear problems detected on these examinations. A total of 9825 (75%) children was from rural schools. The prevalence of CSOM was 15 of 1000, OME was 15 of 1000, and AOM was 7 of 1000 children. Rural Rift Valley schoolchildren had the highest prevalence of CSOM (24 of 1000) compared with other regions (12 of 1000; P < .0001). Ear discharge occurred before 3.5 years in 50% of 901 children with ear discharge. A history of ear discharge was associated with abnormal tympanograms (odds ratio [OR], 11.9-19.2) and mild-to-severe hearing loss (OR, 21.6-38.6), even in children without ear disease (OR, 10.7-24.4). The burden of AOM sequelae in Kenyan preschool and schoolchildren is significant, and it occurs mostly in the first 4 years of life. By preventing early recurrent AOM, pneumococcal vaccination might partly avert nonreversible sequelae.

Middle ear problems in children hospitalised because of lower respiratory tract infections: A comparison between two cohorts in Burundi and Italy

ObjectivesTo compare the prevalence of acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME) in children hospitalized for acute lower respiratory infections (LRTIs) in Burundi and Italy. MethodsThe study, which was conducted from 1 February to 30 April 2011 at the hospital of Kiremba (Burundi, Africa) and at Paediatric Clinic 1 of the University of Milan (Italy), enrolled patients aged <5 years who were hospitalised because of LRTIs. Upon admission, the children underwent an otological examination (pneumatic otoscopy and tympanometry), and middle ear diseases were compared between the two groups. ResultsA total of 108 children enrolled in Burundi (44 males; median age 17 months) were compared to 108 patients enrolled in Italy (53 males; median age 19 months). About one-third of the children in Burundi (33, 30.6%) had normal middle ears. AOM was never diagnosed, whereas OME was detected in 74 children (68.5%: bilateral in 51, 68.9%, and unilateral in 23, 31.1%). The prevalence of OME decreased with increasing age: it was 86.5% in children aged <12 months, 73.7% in those aged 12–24 months, and 43.8% in those aged >24 months (p<0.001). There was no difference in the proportion of children with OME in Burundi (68.5%) and Italy (63.9%; p=0.47). OME was significantly more frequent in the children with pneumonia admitted in Burundi than in the children with pneumonia admitted in Italy (p=0.004). ConclusionsIn children hospitalized for lower respiratory tract infection, OME is almost as frequently seen in developing countries like Burundi, Africa, as in developed countries like Italy. Follow-up monitoring of these children might be required to assess if OME is just a transient phenomenon.

Epidemiology of acute otitis media among young children: A multiple database study in Taiwan

Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common complication of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) among children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of AOM among young children in Taiwan, including the age incidence and seasonality by combining multiple databases. Two country-based questionnaire survey studies had been conducted to evaluate the experience of otitis media (OM) among young children: one in 2007 and the other between 2005 and 2010. The number of OM cases (5% of population younger than 7 years) in 2005 and annual visiting rates for URTI from 2005 to 2010 obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan were collected and comprised the third database. The fourth database comprised ambulatory visits of children with OM to a medical center in central Taiwan between 2005 and 2010. Data from a total of 1099 questionnaires were entered into Database I in 2007, and data from 9705 questionnaires between 2005 and 2010 comprised Database II. There were 86,702 children (younger than 7 years, representing 5% of the whole population for this age group) retrieved from Database III in 2007, and 5,904 cases of OM in children between 2005 and 2010 in a hospital. In Database I, 7.46% children experienced at least one episode of AOM compared with 9.21% in Database II for children aged 5 years and younger. In Database III, 13.2% children younger than 7 years had AOM in 2005. The peak season of AOM among children was from March to May (Databases III and IV). AOM was thought to be a very common disease among children; however, this comparative analysis showed that the overall prevalence of AOM among children younger than 5 years was only 20%, much lower than in other countries. AOM was more prevalent during the spring season, and still was similarly common after age 2 years.

Prevalence of Hearing Loss in Patients with Acute Otitis Media

The study was a prospective, cross-sectional type conducted at the Ear, Nose and Throat Department of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) over a six month period from 1st August 2005 to 31st January 2006. Fifty one patients involving 69 ears (few with bilateral and majority with unilateral hearing loss) were interviewed followed by otoscopic ear examination, pure tone audiometry using AC 30 audiometer and tympanometric test. The hearing loss of participants was thus determined before and after treatment to establish the change in hearing over the period. The results showed that hearing loss occurs in majority of sufferers of acute otitis media. The prevalence of acute otitis media (AOM) is low in adults, but it is quite high in children (91.3%) of reported cases.Keywords: Acute otitis media, hearing loss, tympanometry, Pure-tone&nbsp; Audiometry

A Questionnaire-Based Survey of Indian ENT Surgeons to Estimate Clinic Prevalence of Acute Otitis Media, Diagnostic Practices, and Management Strategies

Acute otitis media (AOM) is common in Indian children, but there is limited published information on its clinic prevalence, clinicians' diagnostic practices, and their management strategies. We approached 649 ear-nose-throat (ENT) surgeons to assess these aspects of AOM. We conducted the survey between May 2010 and February 2011 with the same set of ENT surgeons practising across India, once each during summer, monsoon and winter, using a validated 36-item questionnaire to record their reflective recall. 78% (506/649) of approached ENT surgeons responded. The clinic prevalence of AOM was 43% with peaks reported in July and December. 96% (486/506) of the surgeons used otoscopy to diagnose AOM. 86% (435/506) prescribed analgesics, and 89% (449/506) prescribed decongestants. 98% (495/506) treated AOM with an antibiotic at initial consultation: amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 78% (395/506), amoxicillin 29% (144/506), cefpodoxime 29% (149/506), cefixime 28% (141/506) and azithromycin 27% (134/506). Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 32% (162/506) and cefpodoxime 27% (137/506) were mostly prescribed for relapse. The average reported duration of initial antibiotic therapy was 7days and for relapse was 9days. The reported clinic prevalence of AOM was higher (43%) than anticipated (about 10%) in ENT practice. Almost all the ENT surgeons used an otoscope to diagnose AOM. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid was the preferred antibiotic for treating AOM either initially or for relapse. Most surgeons also used analgesics and decongestants for symptomatic relief.

Increased prevalence of otitis media following respiratory syncytial virus infection

The aim of this study was to analyse whether, during the 18 months following a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in infants, there were differences in the prevalence of common infections such as acute otitis media (AOM), compared with controls. We also wanted to see whether passive smoking could be a contributory factor. In a longitudinal study, 33 children who attended the emergency room with an RSV infection (age < or = 7 months) were compared with 37 age-matched controls recruited from routine infant check-ups. The 18-month follow-up consisted of a questionnaire focusing on environmental factors and the child's health during the last 12 months. An allergy skin prick test (SPT) was performed and venous blood was obtained. The prevalence of AOM and the use of antibiotics were higher in the RSV group than in the controls (p = 0.009 and p = 0.027 respectively). The number of AOMs and the use of antibiotics correlated, r = 0.8. In the RSV group, one or both parents smoked in 52% compared with 14% in the controls (p < 0.001). There were no differences in allergy SPT results. The infants with RSV infection had AOM and were prescribed antibiotics more frequently during the follow-up period. Furthermore, smoking was far more common among the parents of the RSV group. We speculate that passive smoking could be a contributory factor to the infections noted here.