MIDDLE-EAR EFFUSION AMONG CHILDREN DIAGNOSED AND TREATED ACTIVELY FORACUTE OTITIS-MEDIA

We assessed the point prevalence of middle ear effusion among day care children in an area where acute otitis media is diagnosed, treated an d followed actively. Minitympanometry was used to screen 850 day care centre attendants aged 0.6 to 6.9 years (mean 3.7 years). Tympanometry was performed by two trained nurses at the day care centres and pneum atic otoscopy was done by a paediatrician when effusion was suspected. We found 60 (7.1%) children to have middle ear effusion, which was bi lateral in 23 (2.7%) cases. Of the children with bilateral effusion 13 had respiratory symptoms fulfilling the criteria of acute otitis medi a, 8 of them had experienced acute otitis media during the past 3 week s and were diagnosed to have otitis media with effusion, and only 2 (0 .2%) were asymptomatic children not identified earlier. Of the 37 (4.4 %) children with unilateral effusion, 14 had acute otitis media and 23 otitis media with effusion, of whom 12 children (1.4%) had not been i dentified earlier. The point prevalence of acute otitis media was 3.2% and that of otitis media with effusion 3.9%. Conclusion We conclude t hat active diagnosis and treatment of acute otitis media practically e liminates such middle ear effusion that could cause significant hearin g impairment.