News Release

U of MN study finds ear problems decrease over time following ear tube placement

Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (May 15, 2003) -- Problems associated with chronic otitis media with effusion (OME, inflammation of the middle ear) decrease annually after placement of ear tubes to relieve the symptoms of OME, according to an article in the May issue of The Archives of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

"Ear drum and middle ear problems are associated with OME, especially in children who have chronic ear problems," said lead researcher Kathleen A. Daly, Ph.D., senior research associate, otolaryngology, at the University of Minnesota. OME is often treated by the placement of tubes through the eardrum to help drain excess fluid, making it difficult to separate the effects of the disease from effects of treatment.

Daly and colleagues investigated the incidence and prevalence of middle ear problems and eardrum problems in children with OME who had ear tubes placed. The researchers studied 140 children for an average of eight years after ear tube placement. The children ranged from 6 months old to 8 years old.

The researchers found that the annual incidence of ear problems was greater during three to five years of follow-up than six to eight years of follow up.

"The annual incidence of sequelae [problems] decreased during follow-up," said Daly. "This finding parallels decreasing incidence of OME and tube placement as children mature and demonstrates that sequelae are more likely to develop during active acute and chronic OME. The cumulative effect of incidence resulted in few ears free of sequelae by eight years of follow-up."

"Although the risk of OM [otitis media] decreases with age, sequelae that result from disease and/or tube treatment remain prevalent. These conditions may put children at risk for continuing middle ear problems as they grow into adolescence and adulthood," write the authors.

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