Parent-reported symptoms of acute otitis media during the first year of life: what is beneath the surface?

ABSTRACT:

Background

Most estimates of the incidence of acute otitis media (AOM) are based on general practitioner (GP) or pediatrician diagnoses. It is likely that these figures underestimate the community incidence of AOM since parents do not visit their doctor every time their child suffers from acute ear symptoms. The impact of these symptom episodes may be substantial since they affect the child's quality of life and parents' productivity.

Methods

To determine AOM symptoms in the community, we measured parent-reported AOM symptoms daily for 12 consecutive months in 1,260 children participating in a prospective birth cohort in the Netherlands. The mean age of these children was at study enrollment 0.9 months (standard deviation 0.6). A parent-reported AOM symptom episode was defin

SUBMITTER: Fortanier AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4388588 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature