Abstract

FUENTES FERNANDEZ, Gladys; JUST MATOS, Carmen Cecilia; HERNANDEZ RODRIGUEZ, José Francisco  and  MUNOZ PENA, Liván. Behavior of acute otitis media. Rev Cubana Pediatr [online]. 2013, vol.85, n.4, pp.455-465. ISSN 0034-7531.

Introduction: acute otitis media is a complication from acute upper respiratory tract infections and is frequent in the under 5 years-old children. Objectives: to characterize the behavior by sex and age and to identify some risk factors in this age group. Methods: a retrospective and descriptive study was conducted in 554 children admitted to Centro Habana pediatric hospital and diagnosed as acute otitis media patients during the years 2006 through 2010. Data were collected from the medical histories. Results: acute otitis media was more common in boys (58.7%) and under one-year old infants (53.1 %). A history of low birthweight (33.9 %) and prematurity (27.5 %), attending daycare centers (43.5 %) and smoking parents (58.4 %), in addition to a history of admissions at hospital due to otitis media a month prior to the onset of the current event (59 %) were the main risk factors seen in this study. Conclusions: otitis media is a frequent cause of admission at hospital and the main risk factors are attending the daycare centers, and smoking parents.

Keywords : otitis media; risk factors.

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