acute otitis media

acute otitis media

A bacterial or viral middle-ear inflammation which is most common in children, which presents with a rapid onset of pain, irritability, anorexia, or vomiting. AOM is an acute infection of endolymph, resulting in an accumulation of fluid or pus, and may be accompanied by bleeding in the middle ear and can, if the middle-ear fluid pressure is high, rupture the tympanic membrane.

Risk factors
Children with siblings, day care centres with more than 7 children, men, Native Americans, Eskimos, tobacco smoke, family history of atopy, recent illness, crowded or unsanitary living conditions, heredity, high altitude, cold climate, bottle feeding (which allows fluid to pool in the throat at the eustachian tube); AOM is reduced in summer months and in breast-fed infants.
 
Microbiology
Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, RSV, rhinovirus, adenovirus, influenza virus; AOM is more common in children, as their eustachian tubes are shorter, narrower and more horizontal than adults.
 
Management
1st-line: amoxicillin; 2nd-line: amoxicillin-clavulanate, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin-sulfisoxazole.

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

acute otitis media

Acute ear infection ENT A bacterial or viral middle ear inflammation that is most common in children, which presents with a rapid onset of pain, irritability, anorexia, or vomiting Risk factors Children with siblings, day care centers with ≥ 7 children, ♂, Native Americans, Eskimos, tobacco smoke, family history of atopy; AOM is ↓ in summer and in breast-fed infants Microbiology S pneumoniae, H influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, RSV, rhinovirus, adenovirus, influenza virus; OM is more common in children as their eustachian tubes are shorter, narrower, and more horizontal than adults Risk factors Recent illness, crowded or unsanitary living conditions, heredity, high altitude, cold climate, bottle feeding allowing fluid to pool in the throat at the eustachian tube Treatment 1^st-line, amoxicillin; 2^nd-line, amoxicillin-clavulanate, TS, erythromycin-sulfisoxazole See Otitis externa, Otitis media.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Acute otitis media

Inflammation of the middle ear with signs of infection lasting less than three months.

Mentioned in: Myringotomy and Ear Tubes

Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.