Diagnosis and management of childhood otitis media in primary care

In terms of morbidity in children managed in general practice, middle ear conditions are probably the most important relating to the upper respiratory tract, with 75% of all cases of acute otitis media (AOM) occurring in children under the age of 10 years. One in four children will have an episode of AOM at some time during the first 10 years of life with a peak incidence of diagnosis occurring between the ages of three and six years. North American studies have suggested that the incidence is higher in children in the first two years of life. 3, 4, 5 The prevalence of otitis media with effusion (OME), commonly referred to as glue ear, is very high. In one study, around 80% of children had OME at least once before the age of four.