THE EFFECTS OF EARLY BILATERAL OTITIS-MEDIA WITH EFFUSION ON EDUCATIONAL-ATTAINMENT - A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

The relationship between long-lasting, bilateral otitis media with eff usion (OME) between the ages of 2 and 4 and educational attainment, in particular, reading and spelling ability at 7 years of age, was studi ed in a prospective cohort study of 946 children. After selection, thr ee groups were distinguished: 151 children with long-lasting, bilatera l OME at preschool age, 37 preschool children treated with ventilation tubes, and 82 children with no history of OME at that age. Early bila teral OME was found to affect spelling ability, but not reading abilit y, at 7 years. The effects of OME did not appear to increase with the number of observations of OME. Also, recurrent hearing loss did not ha ve more detrimental effects than continuous hearing loss. Effects of t reatment with ventilation tubes were not found. Only the teachers' rat ings of writing ability indicated a slight advantage of treatment with ventilation tubes. In conclusion, the educational consequences of ear ly OME appear to be very small.