FAMILY STUDY OF OTITIS-MEDIA - DESIGN AND DISEASE AND RISK FACTOR PROFILES

Recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM) and chronic otitis media with effu sion (COME) exhibit familial aggregation, but environmental risk facto rs (day care attendance, cigarette smoke exposure, and bottle feeding) are also important in their development. The Family Study of OM was d esigned to ascertain the RAOM/COME status of families whose children p articipated in Otitis Media Research Center studies between 1978 and 1 984. Probands were treated with tympanostomy tubes, and had their RAOM /COME status ascertained as criteria for entry into these studies. For the Family Study of OM parents were interviewed about their otitis me dia and risk factor history; mothers were interviewed about their chil dren's history, and pertinent medical records were obtained. Members o f 173 families were examined with otomicroscopy and multifrequency tym panometry; 19% of parents and 32% of siblings were classified as affec ted, which is substantially higher than RAOM/COME rates from previous reports. Risk factor profiles differed significantly (P < .001) betwee n parents and their children. Younger generation (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 4.18, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.74, 6.36), day care atten dance (OR = 1.96, 95% CI, 1.32, 2.91) and male gender (OR = 1.42, 95% CI, 1.03, 1.97) were significantly related to RAOM/COME using logistic regression. Analyses confirm 1) higher disease rates in families with an affected member compared to existing studies of the general popula tion, 2) increased risk of RAOM/COME associated with known risk factor s, and 3) increased risk for parents irrespective of risk factors. Add itional analyses will explore competing models of disease susceptibili ty using genetic models and known risk factors. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, I nc.