Ej. Midgley et al., The frequency of otitis media with effusion in British pre-school children: a guide for treatment, CLIN OTOLAR, 25(6), 2000, pp. 485-491
Data on the prevalence of otitis media with effusion (OME) as shown by seri
al tympanometry is presented for young children during the first 5 years of
life. The children were participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pre
gnancy and Childhood (ALSPAC); a randomly selected 10% (n = 1400) of whom w
ere selected for examination at ages 8, 12, 18, 25, 31, 37, 43, 49 and 61 m
onths. Whilst sex had no effect, there was a decrease in prevalence of OME
with increasing age. There was a marked seasonal effect on the prevalence o
f OME. Bilateral and unilateral OME were significantly more prevalent in th
e winter than in the summer months (36.6% in February in children aged 8 mo
nths compared with 16% at 61 months and 16.4% in August in children aged 8
months compared with 3.1% at 61 months). The results form an important back
ground against which to assess both the results of screening and also the i
ndications for surgical treatment.