Prevalence of otitis media in selected populations on Pohnpei: a preliminary study

There are no previously published studies on the prevalence of otitis media in Micronesia. As part of an Otitis Media Workshop to train health care workers from the Federated States of Micronesia in the identification and treatment of otitis media, 5-point prevalence studies were conducted to explore the prevalence of otitis media in infants, Head Start, elementary and secondary age students. The results showed an especially high prevalence among the visualized tympanic membranes of the well infants, with 46-47% of the infants showing evidence of otitis media. Of the 1338 ears visualized, 985 or 74% were within the range of normal. Two-hundred and sixteen, or 16% showed evidence of extensive past or mild present disease, with the remaining 10% showing active disease. There were a total of 31 perforations among the 779 persons examined between the ages of two months and twenty-five years, representing 4% of the ears examined. The perforation rate for this population was 39.79 per 1000. The results are discussed as well as their implications for developing areas with limited resources for primary, secondary and tertiary health care.