PURPOSE OF REVIEW Otitis media is the most common bacterial infection among children, accounting for as many as 30 million office visits annually. Proper treatment has become critical as offending pathogens become increasingly resistant to antibiotics and the cost of managing the disorder has exceeded 3 billion dollars per year. However, data suggest that many practitioners still struggle with ...

Background and Objective: Malignant otitis externa is a rare but potentially fatal infection. It tends to affect the elderly as well as patients with diabetes and immunocompromised status. We aimed to identify the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic, and evolutionary features of malignant otitis externa. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study including patients hospitalized in the infe...

Inflammation of the middle ear, known clinically as chronic otitis media, presents in different forms, such as chronic otitis media with effusion (COME; glue ear) and chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). These are highly prevalent diseases, especially in childhood, and lead to significant morbidity worldwide. However, much remains unclear about this disease, including its aetiology, initiat...

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the predominant otitis media pathogen and its prevention through effective vaccination could diminish childhood illness and antibiotic use. This paper reviews 5 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) trials that used otitis media as an endpoint: Northern California Kaiser Permanente (NCKP; vaccine, 7-valent PCV [PCV7]-CRM); Finnish Otitis Media (FinOM; vaccines, PCV7-C...

OBJECTIVE Otitis externa (OE), also known as "swimmer's ear", is an inflammation or infection of the external auditory canal. Many risk factors have been identified, mainly excessive moisture in the canal from swimming. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS To study the leading risk factors of otitis externa. Eighty-seven children aged 3.5-12 years (mean 68+/-6.5 months) who were diagnosed with otitis externa...

BACKGROUND Otitis media is a more frequent occurrence in children, and the disease may progress from an acute to chronic state if appropriate and timely intervention is not initiated. METHODS A total of 212 children aged 6 months to 10 years were examined and treated for otitis media, in a 13-month hospital-based study. RESULTS Acute otitis media was diagnosed in 130 (61.3 per cent) of the ...

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...

BACKGROUND Mastoid abscess remains a recognised complication of otitis media despite the advent of antibiotics. The objectives of this study were to describe the risk factors in patients with mastoid abscess following acute and chronic otitis media and discuss the management of this infection. METHOD A retrospective analysis was done on all patients who underwent mastoidectomy for mastoid abs...

BACKGROUND Recurrent infections within a particular, well-localised body location are often seen in veterinary and medical practice. This condition could represent a localised or segmental immune deficiency. Recurrent canine otitis seems to be one example of this problem. It has been reported that acupuncture increased the efficacy of conventional treatment for canine otitis by >50%. OBJECTIV...

BACKGROUND Vaccines including conserved antigens from Streptococcus pneumoniae and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) have the potential to reduce the burden of acute otitis media. Little is known about the antibody response to such antigens in young children with recurrent acute otitis media, however, it has been suggested antibody production may be impaired in these children. METHODS...