Adenoiditis and Otitis Media with Effusion: Recent Physio-pathological and Terapeutic Acquisition

OME, middle ear disease with many denominations, is a subacute or chronic inflammation by multifactorial etiology, characterized by the presence of serous, mucous, or mixed, non-infected secretion, persistent for more than three months in the middle ear. The incidence is higher in children (ratio children / adults = 10/1), particularly pre-school (61%) than school age (22%), occurs mainly in winter and spring coinciding with infectious and/or allergic inflammation of Upper Airway and Digestive Tract (U.A.D.T.). The incidence of OME after acute otitis media (AOM) is high, with a percentage between 6-10% for some authors or even 42%-60% for others authors; the persistence of secretion in the tympanic chest after AOM is almost considered normal and is attributed mainly to the presence of immunecomplexes. Inflammation of the middle ear and tubal dysfunctionare the most important etiopathogenic factors: were identified a number of established risk factors (infection of upper airway-UA, adenoid hypertrophy, seasonality, inadequate antibiotic therapy, genetic and racial factors) and risk factors accessories (familiarity allergic, mild immunodeficiency, sex, geographical and environmental factors). The role of upper airway inflammation in the onset of middle ear inflammation is documented in the most recent data highlight the importance of bacterial and viral infection, allergy, immuneinflammation and tubal dysfunction. Acta Medica Mediterranea, 2011, 27: 129