Objectives: To compare the prevalence of acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME) in children hospitalized for acute lower respiratory infections (LRTIs) in Burundi and Italy. Methods: The study, which was conducted from 1 February to 30 April 2011 at the hospital of Kiremba (Burundi, Africa) and at Paediatric Clinic 1 of the University of Milan (Italy), enrolled patients aged <5 years who were hospitalised because of LRTIs. Upon admission, the children underwent an otological examination (pneumatic otoscopy and tympanometry), and middle ear diseases were compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 108 children enrolled in Burundi (44 males; median age 17 months) were compared to 108 patients enrolled in Italy (53 males; median age 19 months). About one-third of the children in Burundi (33, 30.6%) had normal middle ears. AOM was never diagnosed, whereas OME was detected in 74 children (68.5%: bilateral in 51, 68.9%, and unilateral in 23, 31.1%). The prevalence of OME decreased with increasing age: it was 86.5% in children aged <12 months, 73.7% in those aged 12-24 months, and 43.8% in those aged >24 months (p < 0.001). There was no difference in the proportion of children with OME in Burundi (68.5%) and Italy (63.9%; p=. 0.47). OME was significantly more frequent in the children with pneumonia admitted in Burundi than in the children with pneumonia admitted in Italy (p = 0.004). Conclusions: In children hospitalized for lower respiratory tract infection, OME is almost as frequently seen in developing countries like Burundi, Africa, as in developed countries like Italy. Follow-up monitoring of these children might be required to assess if OME is just a transient phenomenon.
Middle ear problems in children hospitalised because of lower respiratory tract infections : a comparison between two cohorts in Burundi and Italy / Baggi, E.; Semino, M.; Bianchini, S.; Fattizzo, M.; Rosazza, C.; Esposito, S.; Marchisio, P.. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY. - ISSN 0165-5876. - 77:12(2013), pp. 1984-1986. [10.1016/j.ijporl.2013.09.018]
Middle ear problems in children hospitalised because of lower respiratory tract infections : a comparison between two cohorts in Burundi and Italy
S. Esposito;
2013-01-01
Abstract
Objectives: To compare the prevalence of acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME) in children hospitalized for acute lower respiratory infections (LRTIs) in Burundi and Italy. Methods: The study, which was conducted from 1 February to 30 April 2011 at the hospital of Kiremba (Burundi, Africa) and at Paediatric Clinic 1 of the University of Milan (Italy), enrolled patients aged <5 years who were hospitalised because of LRTIs. Upon admission, the children underwent an otological examination (pneumatic otoscopy and tympanometry), and middle ear diseases were compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 108 children enrolled in Burundi (44 males; median age 17 months) were compared to 108 patients enrolled in Italy (53 males; median age 19 months). About one-third of the children in Burundi (33, 30.6%) had normal middle ears. AOM was never diagnosed, whereas OME was detected in 74 children (68.5%: bilateral in 51, 68.9%, and unilateral in 23, 31.1%). The prevalence of OME decreased with increasing age: it was 86.5% in children aged <12 months, 73.7% in those aged 12-24 months, and 43.8% in those aged >24 months (p < 0.001). There was no difference in the proportion of children with OME in Burundi (68.5%) and Italy (63.9%; p=. 0.47). OME was significantly more frequent in the children with pneumonia admitted in Burundi than in the children with pneumonia admitted in Italy (p = 0.004). Conclusions: In children hospitalized for lower respiratory tract infection, OME is almost as frequently seen in developing countries like Burundi, Africa, as in developed countries like Italy. Follow-up monitoring of these children might be required to assess if OME is just a transient phenomenon.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.