Otitis media is a major cause of morbidity in 80% of all children less than 3 years of age and often goes undiagnosed in the general population. There is evidence to suggest that the incidence of otitis media is increasing. The major cause of otitis media is infection of the middle ear with microbes from the nasopharynx. The anatomical orientation of the eustachian tube, in association with a n...

BACKGROUND Acute otitis media is one of the most common diseases in early infancy and childhood. Antibiotic use for acute otitis media varies from 31% in the Netherlands to 98% in the USA and Australia. OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to assess the effects of antibiotics for children with acute otitis media. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, ME...

Acute otitis media is diagnosed frequently in childhood with peak incidence between 6 and 15 months of age. It is the most common reason for physician visits and antibiotic prescriptions in children, with an excess of $100 spent per episode. In this article we discuss current concepts of complementary and alternative medicine as they apply to otitis media. A thorough literature review shows tha...

Following a study reporting a fourfold increase in the occurrence of chronic otitis media in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, this prospective study examines this association with respect to severity, duration of disease, and acute phase in ankylosing spondylitis. Forty two consecutive patients with classical ankylosing spondylitis seen at the rheumatology clinic of a teaching hospital whe...

Patient population: Pediatric patients (>2 months old) and adults Objectives: (1) Limit acute symptoms and suppurative complications caused by acute otitis media. (2) Maximize language development and minimize long term damage to middle ear structure associated with otitis media with effusion. (3) Limit complications of antibiotic therapy including the development of antibioticresistant bacteria.

Acute otitis media occurs mostly after upper respiratory tract infection; the causative bacteria are those colonized in the nasopharynx. We studied 709 episodes of upper respiratory tract infection and found that children with no bacteria in the nasopharynx were at low risk for acute otitis media, whereas children with 3 pathogenic bacteria were at the greatest risk.