Incidence of oitis media with effusion in first grade students of Ahwaz school

Otitis media is the most frequent illness resulting in office visits to physicians who care for children. After every episode of the acute infection, effusion persists in the middle ear for weeks to months. The pathophysiology of otitis media has been linked with abnormalities of Eustachian tube function. If left untreated, otitis media with effusion can predispose to hearing loss, adversely affects cognitive linguistic and auditory development as well as reduces the communicative skills. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of otitis media among primary school students in Ahwaz schools.A one-year study (1996 –1997) was conducted on 27791 primary school students, who were randomly selected from all areas of Ahwaz schools, and were examined by otoscopic and audiometric methods. The incidence of otitis media with effusion was 11.1%. The risk factor was male gender and occurred predominantly during Winter months. The adverse effects of otitis media with effusion on hearing and on the development of cognitive, linguistic, auditive and communicative skills are of concern to parents and physicians alike.