Otitis Media in Childhood. Socio-Medical Aspects with Special Reference to day-Care and Housing Conditions

Abstract

In order to elucidate the influence of daycare and housing condition on the frequency of otitis media, 681 children, 3–4 years old, were investigated by taking somatic and social history, otological examination and tympanometry. At the time of investigation 76 % of the children were cared for outside their home and one third was taken care of outside their home at the age of 3 months. Among the children cared for outside home the history of earlier otitis media was 25 % higher than among those at home; at the same time there were statistically significant more flat tympanometric curves and adenoidectomies. Regarding housing condition there were statistically significant more children with acute otitis media in flats than in houses, especially in newer concrete flats built after 1960, and there were significantly more adenoidectomies in those flats. Tympanometry revealed no difference in respect to housing condition.