Risk Factors for Otitis Media with Effusion in Preschool and School Children in Calabar Municipality

Predisposing factors for otitis media with effusion are multifactorial, ranging from genetic and anatomical abnormalities to environmental factors and inflammation of the nose and adjacent structures. The study determined the risk factors for otitis media with effusion (OME) among children in Calabar Municipality. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, community-based study including children aged 1-10 years randomly selected from government and privately owned daycares, nurseries (preschool), and primary schools. The risk factors assessed included upper respiratory tract infection, allergic rhinitis, adenoid enlargement, acute otitis media, recurrent acute otitis media parental educational level, overcrowding (four children sleeping in a room), duration of breastfeeding, cleft palate, and Down's syndrome. Allergic rhinitis was diagnosed when a child had at least two of the rhinological symptoms: nasal congestion, running nose, sneezing, itching of the eye or nose, and at least one of the following: history of allergy, family history of allergy, and positive history of asthma. The questionnaire was the research instrument used to assess the risk factors for OME. OME diagnosis was made with otoscopy and tympanometry. Data were collected and analyzed with IBM SPSS version 25, and a P value 0.05). Multivariate binary logistic regression was used to identify predictors for the otitis media with effusion. There are many endogenous and exogenous risk factors for OME, but notable risk factors in our study were age 1-2 years, female sex, and allergic rhinitis.