Incidence and clinical presentation of acute otitis media in children aged <6 years in European medical practices

Abstract

SUMMARYWe conducted an epidemiological, observational cohort study to determine the incidence and complications of acute otitis media (AOM) in children aged <6 years. Data on physician-diagnosed AOM were collected from retrospective review of medical charts for the year preceding enrolment and then prospectively in the year following enrolment. The study included 5776 children in Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. AOM incidence was 256/1000 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI) 243–270] in the prospective study period. Incidence was lowest in Italy (195, 95% CI 171–222) and highest in Spain (328, 95% CI 296–363). Complications were documented in <1% of episodes. Spontaneous tympanic membrane perforation was documented in 7% of episodes. Both retrospective and prospective study results were similar and show the high incidence during childhood in these five European countries. Differences by country may reflect true differences and differences in social structure and diagnostic procedures.

Assessment of ototoxicity of tea tree oil in a chinchilla animal model

“…Many of these products, available over-the-counter, are being used as alternative approaches to treating ear infections; however there is rarely any documented evaluation of their potential for ototoxicity. This becomes relevant when perforations of the tympanic membrane occur in the presence of otitis media without the knowledge of the patient [4,5,35].…”

“…[1][2][3]. A tympanic membrane perforation is a well-known complication observed in 4.5-7% of children diagnosed with otitis media [4,5]. In the presence of such perforation the risk of solutions administered in the ear canal entering into the middle ear greatly increases, thus raises the concern for ototoxicity.…”

Estimates of costs for modelling return on investment from smoking cessation interventions

“…In Hungary, total costs due to passive smoking were obtained from an official report on Economic Burden of Smoking in Hungary 22. In Germany, published data 37, 38 were used to derive the total cost of passive smoking in adults, whereas passive smoking‐related costs among children were sourced from published studies 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42.…”

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Algorithmfor Acute Otitis Media

“…Заболеваемость ОСО в мире составляет 10,8%, более половины случаев прихо-дится на детей до 5 лет. В развитых странах более 80% детей старше 3 лет перенесли по меньшей мере один эпизод заболевания [2]. Несмотря на то что в большин-стве случаев полное выздоровление происходит в тече-ние 1-2 недель, заболеваемость рецидивирующим ОСО остается высокой: 5-15% детей переносят 4 и более эпизода заболевания в год [2].…”