title: Allergic rhinitis is associated with otitis media with effusion: a birth cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Childhood otitis media with effusion is a common disease and a link to allergic diseases has been suggested.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between atopic disease and otitis media with effusion diagnosed according to strict objective case definitions by age 6 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 291 children in the 6th year of life from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) 2000 birth cohort. Otitis media with effusion was diagnosed based on tympanometric and objective evaluation. Asthma, eczema, allergic- and non-allergic rhinitis was diagnosed prospectively by pre-defined algorithms. Nasal mucosal swelling was assessed using acoustic rhinometry and nasal eosinophilia from scrapings. Analyses were performed using logistic regression and adjusted for dog, cat and smoking exposure, paternal atopy, household income, older siblings, gender and number of acute otitis media episodes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Otitis media with effusion was diagnosed in 39% of the cohort and was associated with allergic rhinitis (aOR = 3.36, CI = 1.26-8.96, P = 0.02), but not with nasal mucosal swelling, nasal oeosinophilia, non-allergic rhinitis, asthma or eczema.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Otitis media with effusion is closely associated with allergic rhinitis presumably caused by allergic inflammation, but not mechanical nasal mucosal swelling. These findings warrant an increased awareness of otitis media with effusion in children with allergic rhinitis.
authors.affiliation: COPSAC, The Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kreiner-Møller
authors.forename: B L K
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Chawes
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caye-Thomasen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bønnelykke
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bisgaard
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark; D004485:Eczema / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009017:Morbidity; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000150:complications*