Quality of life in children with otitis media--a cohort study.
BACKGROUND
Studies about health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children with otitis media have primarily focused on short-term effects of the disease, and how treatment with insertion of ventilation tubes (VTs) affects the HRQOL. More knowledge is needed about how long-term HRQOL is associated with different factors like insertion of VT and use of antibiotics.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to analyse HRQOL in children with otitis media 1 year after inclusion and to what extent insertion of VT, use of antibiotics, diagnoses, symptoms in the children, day-care attention, parental absence from work and parental smoking were associated with the long-term HRQOL in children with otitis media.


METHODS
A cohort study including 397 children was carried out. The children were followed for 13 months, and symptoms, HRQOL and so on were identified by means of questionnaires.


RESULTS
HRQOL in children with otitis media was significantly improved after 13 months. The improvement of HRQOL was significantly lower for children with sleep problems compared with children without sleep problems. The improvement in HRQOL was significantly lower in children whose parents had been absent from work during the preceding 3 months due to the child' s otitis media compared with children with parents not being absent from their work. There were no statistically significant differences in the improvement of HRQOL in children who had received a VT during the follow-up period compared with children without a VT.


CONCLUSIONS
HRQOL in children with otitis media was significantly improved after 13 months. The improvement in HRQOL was significantly lower for children with sleep problems. The improvement in HRQOL was significantly lower in children whose parents had been absent from work due to the child's otitis media. There were no statistically significant differences in the improvement of HRQOL in children who had received a VT during the follow-up period.
Research Unit of General Practice and.
Christina T
CT
Ryborg
Jens
J
Søndergaard
Jørgen
J
Lous
Anders
A
Munck
Pia V
PV
Larsen
Janus L
JL
Thomsen
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
Antibiotics; ear; family health; nose and throat; quality of life; surgery.