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Trends in medical visits and surgery for otitis media among children
1Department of Community Health, Sainte-Justine Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Insights
Pediatric otitis media (middle ear infection) visits and surgeries increased from 1981-1983. This rise in surgical interventions for middle ear effusion was mainly due to more infections, not aggressive treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Otolaryngology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Otitis media is a common childhood illness.
- Surgical interventions, like myringotomy with ventilatory tube insertion, are frequently used.
- Trends in treatment patterns require ongoing investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe medical visits and surgical interventions for otitis media in young children.
- To analyze trends in otitis media incidence and treatment from 1981 to 1983.
- To investigate the drivers behind increased surgical rates for middle ear effusion.
Main Methods:
- Population-based descriptive study.
- Analysis of medical visits and surgical procedures for otitis media.
- Data collected for 3- and 7-year-old children in Montreal, Canada (1981-1983).
Main Results:
- Annual otitis media visits and surgical rates increased between 1981 and 1983.
- Myringotomy with ventilatory tube insertion rates rose significantly, particularly in 3-year-olds.
- Surgical rates reached levels described as "epidemic" by some researchers.
Conclusions:
- The observed increase in surgeries for otitis media was primarily linked to a higher incidence of the condition.
- Treatment patterns did not appear to become significantly more aggressive during the study period.
- Further research into the causes of increased otitis media incidence is warranted.
Abstract:
We conducted a population-based descriptive study of medical visits and surgical interventions for otitis media among 3- and 7-year-old children from the Montreal, Canada, area over the period 1981 to 1983. The number of children seen annually for otitis media increased over that time. An increase in the event rate of otitis was observed; there was also an increase in the rate of myringotomy with ventilatory tube insertion. The rate of surgery reached a level, among 3-year-old children in particular (25.0 per 1000 cases of otitis among boys, 23.9 per 1000 cases of otitis among girls), that some authors have termed "epidemic." Comparison of the trends in the rates of surgical interventions and the rates of medical consultations for otitis suggest that most of this so-called surgical epidemic for middle ear effusion is related to a higher frequency of the underlying condition and not to more aggressive patterns of therapy during the years studied.