title: Impact of recurrent otitis media on middle ear function, hearing, and language.
abstract: Whether recurrent otitis media in infants and young children is followed by delayed language development was addressed by following 210 normal subjects longitudinally through the first 2 years of life with pneumatic otoscopy and tympanometry performed at every physician encounter. Otitis accounted for 26% of the medical visits. One hundred fifty-six of these children had speech and hearing evaluation at 2 years of age. Thirty percent of the children with recurrent otitis media had a mild or moderate hearing loss. However, after multiple speech and language tests, we could not identify a delay in language acquisition in the otitis-prone children. At 3 to 4 years old, 36 children, including nine with a hearing loss at 2 years of age, were retested; all nine had normal hearing. Recurrent otitis media induced a temporary decrease in hearing sensitivity demonstrable at 2 years of age, which appeared to resolve as the children matured and which was not associated with delay in language acquisition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University, Nashiville, TN 37232.
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Sell
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: McConnell
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Sitton
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Vaughn
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Bess
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence