Vitamin D Levels in Children with Otitis Media with Effusion

Abstract

titis media with effusion (OME) is one of the most common diseases in childhood. It is defined as fluid in the middle ear (ME) without signs or symptoms of acute infection and the condition is said to be chronic when the fluid accumulation persists beyond three months from the date of onset or the date of diagnosis. If OME remains untreated for a long time, patients run the risk of hearing loss that delays speech and interrupt learning and can also lead to pathological changes in the eardrum and in the middle ear, as adhesive otitis media. Symptoms of OME include hearing loss or aural fullness but typically do not involve pain or fever. The otoscopic findings include abnormal color (eg, yellow/amber/blue), retraction or concavity of ear drum or the appearance of air–fluid level. Confirmation of diagnosis by tympanogram and audiogram is recommended. Audiogram typically shows mild conductive hearing loss while tympanogram shows an immobile ear drum or negative middle ear pressure.