Observation on otitis media among grades I and IV pupils in Bay, Laguna

ABSTRACT

The percentage of those positive for otitis media in Grades I and IV in Bay, Laguna, as gathered from available records, appears to be higher in the upland barrios. It is also significantly higher among Grade I pupils than Grade IV, and of the former, greater among males than among females. Most cases belong to low-income families with a mean per capita annual income significantly lower than that for the general population of Bay. As in the general population of school children, there is a high incidence of malnutrition among the cases. Of the 76 cases follwed up, the majority appear to have unilateral ear drum perforation, conductive hearing impairment, purulent aural discharge, and cervical lymphadenopathy. Most of the cases had the disease before entering school. Those who had aural discharge at the time of follow-up were mostly being treated with H2O2 and a large percentage received no treatment because, in most cases, they were too poor to buy medications. (Summary)