Otitis Media Health Article

Parental concerns

A common concern among parents has been whether recurring episodes of otitis media will cause impairments in their child's development. Research indicates that persistent otitis media in the first three years of life does not have an adverse effect on development.

BOOKS

Friedman, Ellen M., et al. My Ear Hurts!: A Complete Guide to Understanding and Treating Your Child's Ear Infections. Collingdale, PA: DIANE Publishing Co., 2004.

Schmidt, Michael. A Parent's Guide to Childhood Ear Infection. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2004.

PERIODICALS

Huffman, Grace Brooke. "Should Recurrent Otitis Media Be Treated Surgically?" American Family Physician (February 15, 2000): 1128.

Kaye, Donald. "Primary Care Groups Issue Management Guidelines for Otitis Media." Clinical Infectious Diseases 38 (May 1, 2004): iv.

Rovers, Maroeska M., et al. "Otitis Media." The Lancet 363 (February 7, 2004): 465.

Wellbery, Caroline. "Effect of Otitis Media and Tympanostomy Tubes." American Family Physician 69 (March 1, 2004): 1237.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery. One Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Web site: <www.entnet.org>.

American Academy of Pediatrics. 141 Northwest Point Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007–1098. <www.aap.org>.

WEB SITES

"Chronic Otitis Media (Middle Ear Infection) and Hearing Loss." KidsENT. Available online at <www.entnet.org/KidsENT/hearing_loss.cfm> (accessed October 27, 2004).

"Ear Infections (Otitis Media)." Kidshealth. Available online at <www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/ear/otitis_media.html> (accessed October 27, 2004).

Henderson, Sean O. "Pediatrics, Otitis Media." eMedicine. Available online at <www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic393.htm> (October 27, 2004).

Deanna M. Swartout-Corbeil, RN

Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD

Rebecca J. Frey, PhD