Middle ear effusion in children and the indoor environment: an epidemiological study.
A prospective study of 337 children was carried out during a 3-month period. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the importance of indoor environmental factors in homes and day-care institutions for the incidence of middle ear effusion (MEE). The indoor environmental factors measured in institutions were carbon dioxide, temperature, and relative humidity. Conditions in the homes were assessed by a questionnaire. Middle ear effusion was measured by tympanometry. No relationship was found between indoor environmental factors and MEE, with the exception of parental smoking at home, which increased the frequency of MEE in children.
D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests; D000367:Age Factors; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003718:Denmark; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D004432:Ear, Middle; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D007223:Infant; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D012907:Smoking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000393:Air Pollutants; D002245:Carbon Dioxide