Otitis media.
Otitis media (OM) or middle ear inflammation is a spectrum of diseases, including acute otitis media (AOM), otitis media with effusion (OME; 'glue ear') and chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). OM is among the most common diseases in young children worldwide. Although OM may resolve spontaneously without complications, it can be associated with hearing loss and life-long sequelae. In developing countries, CSOM is a leading cause of hearing loss. OM can be of bacterial or viral origin; during 'colds', viruses can ascend through the Eustachian tube to the middle ear and pave the way for bacterial otopathogens that reside in the nasopharynx. Diagnosis depends on typical signs and symptoms, such as acute ear pain and bulging of the tympanic membrane (eardrum) for AOM and hearing loss for OME; diagnostic modalities include (pneumatic) otoscopy, tympanometry and audiometry. Symptomatic management of ear pain and fever is the mainstay of AOM treatment, reserving antibiotics for children with severe, persistent or recurrent infections. Management of OME largely consists of watchful waiting, with ventilation (tympanostomy) tubes primarily for children with chronic effusions and hearing loss, developmental delays or learning difficulties. The role of hearing aids to alleviate symptoms of hearing loss in the management of OME needs further study. Insertion of ventilation tubes and adenoidectomy are common operations for recurrent AOM to prevent recurrences, but their effectiveness is still debated. Despite reports of a decline in the incidence of OM over the past decade, attributed to the implementation of clinical guidelines that promote accurate diagnosis and judicious use of antibiotics and to pneumococcal conjugate vaccination, OM continues to be a leading cause for medical consultation, antibiotic prescription and surgery in high-income countries.
evidENT, Ear Institute, University College London, Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, 330 Grays Inn Road, WC1X 8DA London, UK.|Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Anne G M
AG
Schilder
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
Tasnee
T
Chonmaitree
School of Medicine and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
Allan W
AW
Cripps
Department of Otolaryngology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA.
Richard M
RM
Rosenfeld
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Margaretha L
ML
Casselbrant
Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Mark P
MP
Haggard
Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Roderick P
RP
Venekamp
D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D038781:Otoscopy / Q000379:methods; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D015363:Quinolones / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors; D014432:Tympanic Membrane / Q000002:abnormalities
D015363:Quinolones