Otitis media risk factors
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
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Overview
Children below the age of seven years are much more prone to otitis media since the Eustachian tube is shorter and at more of a horizontal angle than in the adult ear. They also have not developed the same resistance to viruses and bacteria as adults. Numerous studies have correlated the incidence of acute otitis media in children with various factors such as nursing in infancy, bottle feeding when supine, parental smoking, diet, allergies and automobile emissions; but the most obvious weakness of such studies is the inability to control the variable of exposure to viral agents during the studies. One must also keep in mind that correlation does not establish causation. Breastfeeding for the first twelve months of life is associated with a reduction in the number and duration of all otitis media infections.[1]