Allergy is not a risk factor for recurrent acute otitis media: a real-life clinical experience

BACKGROUND: Acute otitis media (AOM) is the most common bacterial infection in children. Some children with AOM tend to be otitis-prone, such as to have frequent recurrence of AOM (RAOM). The possible RAOM risk factors are widely debated. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to identify predictive factors, including clinical data and endoscopic findings, for RAOM in children. METHODS: The current study was performed in a real-life setting, such as an otorhinolaryngologic (ORL) clinic. In this study, 1,002 children (550 males, 452 females; mean age, 5.77 ± 1.84 years), complaining upper airway symptoms, were consecutively visited. Detailed clinical history and nasal endoscopy were performed. RESULTS: Throughout the ORL visit, it was possible to define some factors involved in the recurrence of AOM, including female sex, artificial feeding, tonsillar and adenoid hypertrophy, whereas male sex and recurrent respiratory infections could protect from RAOM. CONCLUSION: Allergy was not associated with RAOM. In addition, this real-life study identified some predictive factors of RAOM, thus also in a primary care setting it is possible to achieve important information that is relevant in clinical practice.