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Risk factors for infantile recurrent otitis media: atopy but not type of feeding
V M Tainio1, E Savilahti, L Salmenperä
1Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Insights
Recurrent otitis media (ROM) in infants is linked to atopy and increased exposure to other children. Breastfeeding did not prevent ROM, but parental smoking was more frequent in affected infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
- Immunology
Background:
- Recurrent otitis media (ROM) is a common childhood illness.
- Identifying risk factors for ROM is crucial for prevention and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate risk factors associated with recurrent otitis media (ROM) in infants.
- To examine the roles of feeding practices, atopy, social contact, and parental smoking.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study following 183 infants from birth to 2.3 years.
- Defined ROM as five or more episodes in the first 2 years or four in the second year.
- Compared infants with ROM to a control group without OM, analyzing feeding, atopy, social contact, and smoking data.
Main Results:
- Atopy was associated with ROM (RR 1.9), particularly early-onset ROM (67% vs 25%).
- Increased daily contact with children (≥5) in the second year was linked to ROM (RR 2.1).
- Parental smoking was more frequent in infants with ROM (54% vs 33%).
- Exclusive breastfeeding did not prevent OM, and early weaning was not a risk factor.
Conclusions:
- Atopy, increased exposure to other children, and parental smoking are significant risk factors for recurrent otitis media in infants.
- Feeding practices, including breastfeeding and early weaning, did not show a protective or risk effect in this cohort.
Abstract:
We followed 183 infants from birth to 2.3 yr of age. Of these infants 28 had recurrent otitis media (ROM), defined as five or more separate episodes of otitis media (OM) during the first 2 yr of life or four such episodes during their 2nd yr. The OM presented during their 1st yr (early-onset ROM) in 12 infants and during their 2nd yr (2nd yr ROM) in 16. Eighty infants had no OM and served as a comparison group. Regarding type of feeding, the infants with early-onset ROM did not differ from their age-matched pairs in the comparison group either 1 month before the first OM or at the time of first episode of OM. Exclusive breast-feeding did not prevent OM and early weaning was not a risk factor for ROM. Atopy was associated with ROM with a relative risk of 1.9 (95% confidence limits 1.2-3.2). It was particularly prevalent among the infants with early-onset ROM, in 67 versus in 25% in the comparison group (p less than 0.01). During the 2nd yr daily contact with five or more children was associated with ROM with a relative risk of 2.1 (1.3-3.3). The infants with 2nd-yr ROM were in daily contact with more children than the comparison group (mean 11 versus 5; p less than 0.001). Parental smoking was more frequent among the infants with ROM than in the comparison group (54 versus 33%; p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)