Reading performance in children with otitis media.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether middle ear diseases and the associated hearing loss in early childhood affect reading performance later at school.


METHODS
One hundred and sixty children, 6.5 to 8 years of age, were enrolled in this study: 80 children with a history of recurrent infections and/or prolonged periods of effusions of the middle ear before the age of 5 years, and 80 healthy children without any history of middle ear disease. Data were collected from the medical records of the children. Every child underwent a complete otological and audiological evaluation, followed by special reading tests.


RESULTS
The study group performed more poorly, in all reading tests, as compared to the controls ( P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Children with recurrent or prolonged middle ear diseases during the first five years of life tend to be at greater risk for delayed reading than aged-matched controls with no previous middle ear diseases.
Golz
Avishay
A
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rambam Medical Center and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine-The Technion, Haifa, Israel. golz@netvision.net.il
Netzer
Aviram
A
Westerman
S Thomas
ST
Westerman
Liane M
LM
Gilbert
David A
DA
Joachims
Henry Z
HZ
Goldenberg
David
D
D002648:Child; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000150:complications*