Aetiological factors in chronic secretory otitis in relation to age

Abstract

The prevelance of chronic secretory otitis media was studied in 5414 children aged 2-12 yr. The maximum incidence of the disease was at the age of 2 yr decreasing progressively to the age of 12, the results fitting a logarithmic curve. Of all the children, 8.7% had chronic otitis media, 0.59% had adhesive otitis and 0.35% chronic suppurative otitis media. The prevalence of secretory otitis was, significantly, related to infections of the upper respiratory tract and to nasal obstruction. The part played by the adenoid was more questionable. Purulent otorrhoea was more frequent in those children with secretory otitis than normal children.

Factors influencing the presence of otitis media with effusion 16 months after initial diagnosis in a cohort of school-age children in rural Greece: A prospective study

“…Data from these two sources appears to converge. The incidence of OME depends very much on the age of the child [12,13]. Our study shows that in children of school age, irrespective of treatment used, the chance of OME persisting beyond 16 months decreases with age--by 47% for every 2 years.…”

Epidemiology and Pathogenesis of Otitis Media: Construction of a Phenotype Landscape

“…In general, prevalence decreases with age [Suarez Nieto et al, 1983], but a meta-analysis reported peaks at the ages of 2 and 5 years [Zielhuis et al, 1990a]. The later peak is perhaps contributed to by exposure to respiratory infections when children start school, but could also include a shift towards OME rather than AOM, congruent with a theoretically decreasing bacterial ingress.…”

“…Those with CSOM often give a history of prior AOM, but AOM is not more frequent in this group compared with the background population [Fliss et al, 1991;Lasisi et al, 2007]. Clinical experience suggests that whereas CSOM may occur subsequent to AOM, in the developed world often it occurs secondary to a history of COME [Suarez Nieto et al, 1983;Youngs, 1998]. In such cases it may be that non-resolving inflammation in COME leads to degeneration [Sadé, 1993;Sano et al, 1994] and eventual perforation of the tympanic membrane, which then allows periodic or persistent infection of dysfunctional mucosa by flora of the external auditory canal [Brook, 1981].…”

“…The prevalence in 2-yearold white children in a developed-world environment is probably less than 1% [Suarez Nieto et al, 1983;Bluestone, 1998;Verhoeff et al, 2006] (the incidence in adults has been estimated as 0.5% [Browning and Davis, 1983]):…”

Hearing Screening in Jamaica

“…In Sweden, incidences of 32% in 3‐year olds and 26% in 7‐year‐olds have been reported 12,13 . Suarez Nieto et al 14 showed a fall in prevalence of OME from 38.8% at age 2 years to 1.1% at 11 years of age. OME has a comparatively lower prevalence in underdeveloped and developing African countries.…”