This meta-analysis suggests that hearing impairment is associated with cognitive problems. However, due to diversity within studies, small sample sizes, the failure to control for premorbid and other health factors, this conclusion may be premature.

Established cardiovascular disease and individual and combined cardiovascular disease risk factors were found to be associated with hearing loss. Future research should prospectively investigate whether targeting cardiovascular disease can prevent hearing loss.

Introduction The 2001 Recommendations for clinical care guidelines on the management of otitis media in Aboriginal and Torres Islander populations were revised in 2010. This 2020 update by the Centre of Research Excellence in Ear and Hearing Health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children used for the first time the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Main recommendations We performed systematic reviews of evidence across prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and management. We report ten algorithms to guide diagnosis and clinical management of all forms of otitis media. The guidelines include 14 prevention and 37 treatment strategies addressing 191 questions. Changes in management as a result of the guidelines A GRADE approach is used. Targeted recommendations for both high and low risk children. New tympanostomy tube otorrhoea section. New Priority 5 for health services: annual and catch‐up ear health checks for at‐risk children. Antibiotics are strongly recommended for persistent otitis media with effusion in high risk children. Azithromycin is strongly recommended for acute otitis media where adherence is difficult or there is no access to refrigeration. Concurrent audiology and surgical referrals are recommended where delays are likely. Surgical referral is recommended for chronic suppurative otitis media at the time of diagnosis. The use of autoinflation devices is recommended for some children with persistent otitis media with effusion. Definitions for mild (21–30 dB) and moderate (> 30 dB) hearing impairment have been updated. New “OMapp” enables free fast access to the guidelines, plus images, animations, and multiple Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language audio translations to aid communication with families.

Objective: To describe the prevalence and risk factors of recurrent otitis media (rOM) in an urban Australian population at 3 years of age. Methods:Cross-sectional examination of prevalence and risk factors of rOM in 2280 participants from the Raine Study enrolled from public and private hospitals in Perth, Western Australia, between 1989 and 1991. Parental report questionnaires at 3 years of 3 age were used for rOM identification, with secondary confirmation by otoscopic examination at 1, 2 or 3 years of age. Results:The prevalence of parent-reported rOM was 26.8% (611/2280) and 5.5% (125/2280) for severe rOM in the Study. Independent associations were found between rOM and the presence of older siblings, attendance at day care, and the introduction of other milk products at ≤4 months of age. Independent associations for severe rOM were the presence of allergies and attendance at day care. Conclusions:Prevalence rates of rOM within the Raine Study children are similar to a number of other known cohorts. Parity, presence of allergies, attendance at day care and introduction of other milk products at ≤4 months are highlighted as specific risk factors

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of topical antibiotics for people with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM).

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.6534473.

Objectives/Hypothesis To determine the relationship between peripheral hearing loss (HL) in baby boomers (better‐ear measure) and cognitive function, taking into account the impact of depression or cognitive reserve on this relationship and exploring binaural hearing. Study Design A prospective, epidemiology study. Methods Data from 1,969 participants aged 45 to 66 years were collected in the Busselton Healthy Ageing Study. Participants were assessed using pure‐tone air‐conduction thresholds at octave frequencies (250; 500; 1,000; 2,000; 4,000; and 8,000 Hz). Hearing loss was grouped using 1) pure‐tone averages across 4 frequencies (500 to 4000Hz) in the better ear (BE4FA) or 2) latent profile analysis (LPA) using all thresholds from both ears. Cognition was tested with the Cognitive Drug Research System, verbal fluency, and National Adult Reading Test (premorbid‐IQ). Regression was used to determine the impact of HL relative to no HL on age and education‐adjusted cognition, controlling for mood, sex, and premorbid‐IQ. Results According to BE4FA, 4.7% had mild (26–40 dB) HL; 0.8% had moderate (41–60 dB) HL; and 0.3% had severe (61–80 dB) HL. Based on the LPA, 20.5% had high‐frequency HL; 7.8% had mid‐ to high‐frequency HL; and 1.9% had significant HL across all frequencies. The HL group was not a predictor of cognitive performance in any domain using BE4FA and explained just 0.5% and 0.4% of variance in continuity‐of‐attention and speed‐of‐memory retrieval using LPA. Critically, those with the worst hearing did not differ cognitively from those with the best. Conclusion Hearing loss is not an important determinant of contemporaneous attention, memory, or executive function in middle‐aged adults once age, education, depression, cognitive reserve, and sex are controlled. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 126:2367–2375, 2016

Aim This study sought to determine the prevalence of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in Australian school‐aged children and associated potential risk factors for DLD at 10 years. Methods This study used a cross‐sectional design to estimate the prevalence of DLD in Generation 2 of the prospective Raine Study. Participants included 1626 children aged 10 years with available language data. Primary outcomes included variables matching diagnostic criteria for DLD. Associations of other potential prenatal and environmental variables were analysed as secondary outcomes. Results The prevalence of DLD in this sample was 6.4% (n = 104) at 10 years. This sub‐cohort comprised 33.7% (n = 35) with expressive language deficits, 20.2% (n = 21) with receptive language deficits, and 46.2% (n = 48) with receptive‐expressive deficits. No significant difference in sex distribution was observed (52.9% male, p = 0.799). Children who were exposed to smoke in utero at 18 weeks gestation were at increased risk of DLD at 10 years (OR = 2.56, CI = 1.23–5.35, p = 0.012). Conclusions DLD is a relatively prevalent condition in Australian children, even when assessed in middle childhood years. These findings can inform future research priorities, and public health and educational policy which account for the associations with potential risk factors.