[Acute otitis media in a pediatric primary care unit].
BACKGROUND
Acute otitis media (AOM) is a serious public health problem and is considered one of the most common diagnoses in pediatric outpatient units. The aim of this study was to asses the incidence and distribution of AOM by age, sex, number of visits per episode, and the most frequent symptoms and signs in four pediatric primary care units.


METHODS
A 12-month (1 September 2000 to 31 August 2001), prospective study was carried out in a primary care center on the outskirts of Madrid.


RESULTS
During the study period there were 1,098 consultations for AOM in 521 patients. The overall incidence per 100,000 children aged less than 14 years was 12,080 cases (95 % CI: 11,120-13,090). The highest incidence per 100,000 children was in children aged 12-23 months with 38,780 cases (95 % CI: 33,340-44,430). A total of 34.5 % of the children diagnosed with AOM were aged less than 2 years. Ninety-six percent of the children received antibiotics. Most (81.4 %) of the children were completely cured while symptoms persisted in 15.4 %. A minority of the children (3.5 %) were referred to the otolaryngology department.
Riquelme Pérez
M
M
Centro de Salud Universitario, La Chopera I-II, Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain. mati_riquelme@yahoo.es
Rincón Víctor
P
P
García Ruiz
L
L
Tusset Castellano
J
J
Bravo Tabares
R
R
Fernández Pérez
C
C
D000208:Acute Disease; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies