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Otitis media and long-term follow-up of hearing
M Sorri1, E Mäki-Torkko, O P Alho
1Department of Otolaryngology, University of Oulu, Finland.
Insights
Children with a history of middle ear infections, including recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM) and secretory otitis media (SOM), show worse hearing thresholds. These findings suggest potential long-term inner ear effects from childhood ear infections.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Otitis media is a common childhood illness.
- Long-term hearing effects of otitis media are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between otitis media history and hearing thresholds in children at age 7.
- To explore potential inner ear involvement in long-term hearing outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal birth cohort study of 2,512 children.
- Otitis media history collected until age 7.
- Audiometry performed on 298 children at age 7, with final analysis of 266.
Main Results:
- Children with recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM) had worse high-frequency hearing thresholds.
- Children with secretory otitis media (SOM) had worse thresholds across all frequencies.
- Children with a history of RAOM or SOM were more likely to have hearing thresholds exceeding 20 dB.
Conclusions:
- Otitis media history, particularly RAOM and SOM, is associated with poorer hearing thresholds in children.
- Results suggest possible long-term inner ear involvement in hearing deficits following otitis media.
Abstract:
The present material is based on a birth cohort of 2,512 children followed up from the antenatal period. Data on middle ear infections were collected until the children were 7 years. At the age of 7, audiometry was performed on 298 of them. For reasons other than middle ear infection, 32 children were excluded and the final material comprised 266 children. Only those children with clear differences in their history for otitis media were analysed. Although the pure tone averages (0.5-3 kHz) showed no major changes, different mean air-conduction (AC) thresholds were associated with different histories of otitis media. The 35 healthy children (with no otitis media episodes until 2 years of age) showed the best mean AC thresholds. The 51 children with recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM; > or = 4 episodes of acute otitis media) showed worse thresholds at the high frequencies and those 13 who had had secretory otitis media (SOM) at all frequencies. The children with a history of otitis media, either RAOM or SOM, more often had hearing thresholds exceeding 20 dB. Our results might indicate inner ear involvement in these long-term follow-up hearing thresholds.