Clinical characteristics and risk factors of acute otitis media in infants under one-year-old / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

ABSTRACT

Objective: To analyze the symptoms and signs of acute otitis media (AOM) in infants under one-year-old and the risk factors of AOM. Methods: Care information and clinical characteristics of a total of 304 full-term delivery infants with normal hearing who were examined in Shanghai Children's Hospital from January to December 2018 were included in the analysis. All infants were followed up to one-year-old and the clinical characteristics of AOM infants were collected. χ2 test was used to analyze whether there was a statistically significant difference between the AOM group (AOM infants) and the control group (infants without AOM) in terms of feeding status, daily care, going out, living environment, pneumococcal vaccination, and so on. Logistic regression model was used to explore the risk factors for AOM in infants under one-year-old. Results: In 304 infants, 177 developed AOM, and the age of AOM infants was (5.65±2.03) months. Compared with the control group, AOM group had higher rates of spitting up milk (P=0.000), frequent ears digging (P=0.021), participation in early education activities (P=0.000) and recurrent respiratory infection (P=0.000), and lower rate of pneumococcal vaccination (P=0.000). Logistic regression analysis showed that vomiting (OR=2.774, P=0.002), participation in early education activities (OR=3.785, P=0.000) and recurrent respiratory infection (OR=3.638, P=0.000) were risk factors for AOM in infants, and pneumococcal vaccination was a protective factor (OR=0.320, P=0.000). Conclusion: AOM is a high-incidence disease in infants under one-year-old in Shanghai. Insisting on scientific feeding position, reducing spitting and paying attention to the extra protection when participating in public activities such as early education may reduce the occurrence of AOM. Pneumococcal vaccination may help prevent AOM.