Chronic serous otitis media (often referred as chronic otitis media with effusion) is the most common cause of deafness and hearing loss in early childhood [1] [2] [3]. The pathogenesis involves the accumulation of fluid in the middle ear without damage to the tympanic membrane [2] [4]. The pathogenesis remains unclear, but bacterial microorganisms have been identified in some patients [4]. Nevertheless, an induced production of arachidonic acid metabolites, such as leukotrienes and prostaglandins, could lead to tympanic membrane damage [1].

It was established that up to 80% of all children under 10 years of age will suffer from at least one episode of otitis media with effusion, while the main patient population affected by this ear disorder is aged between 3-7 years [1] [2] [3]. The key manifestation is a bilateral hearing loss that resolves spontaneously, while some children report a tingling sensation [1] [2] [3]. Other symptoms include otalgia and a sensation of pressure in the ear [1] [3].

Acute otitis media (AOM) is often the main precipitating event in young children, whereas an infection of paranasal sinuses seems to be the main risk factor for the development of chronic serous otitis media in the adult population [2] [5]. Although the condition is benign and self-limiting in the majority of cases, many reports have emphasized the risk of inadequate language development in cases of persistent chronic serous otitis media [1] [3]. Furthermore, the vestibular function can be affected as well, producing symptoms such as poor balance and coordination [1] [2] [3].

• Tinnitus

  Tinnitus is a condition most commonly known as ringing in the ears, but it can also present as humming, buzzing, or hissing. We are one of the few practices that specializes in tinnitus treatment in Boca Raton, Florida. [labyrinthaudiology.com]

  Learn More About Topic Tinnitus Over 50 million Americans have experienced tinnitus, or ringing in ears, which is the perception of sound without an external source being present. [entnet.org]

  Meniere’s disease is associated with attacks of vertigo (a sensation of spinning) and/or tinnitus, fullness in the ear and hearing loss. A sensorineural hearing loss is associated with Meniere’s disease and in most cases only one ear is affected. [deafness.org.au]

  Typically caused by a virus and less commonly bacteria, common symptoms include dizziness, vertigo, loss of balance, flickering of the eyes (nystagmus), and tinnitus or hearing loss. Labyrinthitis is classified to subcategory 386.3. [fortherecordmag.com]

• Otalgia

  Head and neck symptoms Children may show signs of earache or otalgia through the pulling of the affected ear. [ehealthhall.com]

  Other symptoms include otalgia and a sensation of pressure in the ear. [symptoma.com]

  In acute otitis media, otalgia is the most common complaint. Other common signs and symptoms include otorrhea, hearing loss, headache, fever, and irritability. [radiopaedia.org]

  The occurrence of subsequent fever, otalgia, and unscheduled medical visits were not significantly different between the groups. Further analysis showed that fever and otalgia were predictors of filling the antibiotic prescription in the WASP group. [raysahelian.com]

  Treatment Strategy for Acute Otitis Media Initial presentation Diagnosis established by physical examination findings and presence of symptoms Treat pain Children six months or older with otorrhea or severe signs or symptoms (moderate or severe otalgia [aafp.org]

• Hearing Problem

  One common symptom of OME is hearing problems. In younger children, behavior changes can be a symptom of hearing problems. For example, a child may turn the television up louder than usual. They may also tug or pull on their ears. [healthline.com]

  It is also important to document your child's hearing with a formal hearing test. Fortunately, despite ear infections being the most common disease of childhood, permanent speech and hearing problems are rare. [entsurgicalillinois.com]

  This review summarizes the studies using antihistamines, decongestants or a combination of antihistamines and decongestants and finds no benefit for any of the short or long-term outcomes including resolution of the fluid, hearing problems or the necessity [cochrane.org]

  In the early stages, SOM causes a hearing problem, but as time goes on, the trapped fluid may become infected with bacteria and cause further complications. [medicalhearingsystems.com]

  Your child may have a hearing test done at that visit, (especially if they are over 2 or have speech or hearing problems); there is a charge for this test as well as any ear plugs or head bands you purchase. [entcentergr.com]

• Ear Discharge

  Discharge 258 Intravenous Antibiotics for Otorrhea 261 Evaluation and Treatment of Recurrent PostTympanostomy Otorrhea 266 Workup and Management of Chronic Otorrhea 271 MethicillinResistant Staphylococcus aureus Otorrhea 278 [books.google.de]

  Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media Chronic Suppurative OM is a result of an episode of an acute OM but is characterized by a persistent ear discharge due to the perforation of the tympanic membrane. [ehealthhall.com]

  The typical signs to watch for include: Tugging or pulling at the ear(s) Loss of appetite Unsettledness and crying Trouble sleeping High fever Discharge from the ears Problems with balance Trouble hearing, especially soft sounds or when being spoken to [hear-the-world.com]

• Erythematous Tympanic Membrane

  Normal Tympanic Membrane Pink Tympanic Membrane, often seen with fever or upper respiratory tract infections Bulging and erythematous Tympanic Membrane in AOM Otitis Media with Effusion "glue ear" Middle ear effusion Loss of TM landmarks, particularly [rch.org.au]

Because chronic serous otitis media poses a significant risk for inducing deafness in early childhood, an early diagnosis is of critical importance. The first part of the diagnostic workup should be a thorough patient history during which the course of symptoms, their progression, as well as severity, should be assessed, together with a history of previous ear infections [1] [3]. In the presence of auditory complaints, the physical examination should pay special attention to the inspection of the ear, mainly through otoscopy and otomicroscopy [1] [3]. The initial findings can be retracted tympanic membrane and a shortened malleus, whereas a clear or blue-to-yellow fluid can be observed through the ear drum [3].

In serious cases, hearing testing should be conducted [1]. Conductive hearing loss ranging from 10-50 dB is mainly observed, depending on the amount and viscosity of the fluid [3]. Appropriate therapeutic strategies are designed, based on the severity of hearing loss, ranging from further testing and conservative treatment to surgery [1].

Ear tube placement should be considered in the treatment of long standing ear fluid. View Abstract An adenoidectomy has been shown to be effective in the treatment of serous otitis media. [entusa.com]

Serous Otitis Media: Treatment Treatment for acute serous otitis media includes treatment of the underlying conditions that have led to inflammation of the middle ear. [ic.steadyhealth.com]

Appropriate therapeutic strategies are designed, based on the severity of hearing loss, ranging from further testing and conservative treatment to surgery. [symptoma.com]

Treatment Symptomatic relief and home care Most of otitis media infections are self-limiting and do not require any treatment. [ehealthhall.com]

Treatment consists of conservative measures (e.g., antibiotic drops) and tympanoplasty if conservative management fails. [amboss.com]

[…] adequate treatment Tympanosclerosis Scarring of the tympanic membrane due to recurrent ear infections or otitis media with effusion May be asymptomatic or lead to conductive hearing loss White calcified plaques in the tympanic membrane seen on otoscopy Prognosis [amboss.com]

Intratemporal complications include: Petrositis Facial paralysis [ 17 ] Labyrinthitis Intracranial complications include: Lateral sinus thrombophlebitis Meningitis Intracranial abscess Sequelae include: Hearing loss Tympanosclerosis Prognosis [ 2 ] Prognosis [patient.info]

Prognosis Otitis media with effusion (OME) is the leading cause of hearing loss in children. [emedicine.medscape.com]

Inclusion of steroids in the drops improves prognosis. (Roland et al. 2003) Uncommon treatments: Steroids -- oral, nasal and injected steroids are occasionally used but their use is presently controversial. [dizziness-and-balance.com]

Certain conditions have both an underlying etiology and multiple body system manifestations due to the underlying etiology. [icd10coded.com]

Chronic suppurative otitis media Definition : persistent drainage from the middle ear through a perforated tympanic membrane lasting > 6–12 weeks Epidemiology : most common in children and adolescents > 15 years old Etiology : bacterial infection following [amboss.com]

The etiologies of the rest of the cases were acute sinusitis, gastroenteritis, parvovirus, serous otitis media, or influenza. [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]

OM is the general term that is used for the infection regardless of the etiology. There are different types of OM depending on the presenting signs and symptoms. Figure 1 shows what happen to the ear with an otitis media [1, 2]. [ehealthhall.com]

Figure showing the areas lined by respiratory type of epithelium Etiology: 1. In many children otitis media with effusion is preceded by an episode of acute otitis media. This is common in children who is more prone for upper respiratory infections. [drtbalu.co.in]

Chronic suppurative otitis media Definition : persistent drainage from the middle ear through a perforated tympanic membrane lasting > 6–12 weeks Epidemiology : most common in children and adolescents > 15 years old Etiology : bacterial infection following [amboss.com]

Environmental factors Besides the actual pathogens, environmental factors have been shown in numerous epidemiologic studies to be strongly associated with increased prevalence of otitis media with effusion. [emedicine.medscape.com]

Epidemiology and natural history of secretory otitis. Am J Otol. 1984;5(6):459–462. ... 2. Burrows HL, Blackwood RA, Cooke JM, et al.; Otitis Media Guideline Team. University of Michigan Health System otitis media guideline. [aafp.org]

Epidemiology [ 1 ] In Britain, 0.9% of children and 0.5% of adults have CSOM, with no difference between the sexes. [patient.info]

Army: The Aeromedical Epidemiological Data Repository (AEDR) catalogs all Army flight physicals since 1960. There have been approximately 160,000 individual aircrew entered in this database. [asams.org]

[…] the tympanic cavity in the absence of infection lasting for > 3 months Epidemiology : : observed particularly in toddlers after an episode of acute OM Etiology : incompletely understood, but primarily thought to be due to eustachian tube dysfunction Pathophysiology [amboss.com]

Historically, the pathophysiology of OM has always been linked with abnormalities of ET function. As previously reviewed, the ET performs the three classic functions of aeration, clearance, and protection of the middle ear. [asams.org]

Pathophysiology Otitis media with effusion (OME) can occur during the resolution of acute otitis media (AOM) once the acute inflammation has resolved. [emedicine.medscape.com]

View Abstract Ear tubes have been shown to be effective in the prevention of recurrent acute otitis media. In many studies, their effectiveness exceeded prophylactic antibiotics. [entusa.com]

Be attentive to a runny nose and prevent otitis media Prevention and treatment There is little scientific evidence that any specific measures are able to prevent otitis media. [hear-the-world.com]

Removing the adenoids can also help treat or prevent OME in some children. When adenoids become enlarged they can block ear drainage. [healthline.com]

[…] of Acute Otitis Media 134 Mucosal Immunity and Nasal Immunization in the Treatment of Infectious Diseases of the Upper Respiratory Tract 138 Allergy TestingTreatment for Otitis Media 146 Prevention of Acute Otitis Media during the Common Cold 152 Rhinosinusitis [books.google.de]

When this tube is not working properly, it prevents normal drainage of fluid from the middle ear, causing a build up of fluid behind the eardrum. [chop.edu]

1. American Academy of Family Physicians; American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery; American Academy of Pediatrics Subcommittee on Otitis Media With Effusion. Otitis media with effusion. Pediatrics. 2004;113(5):1412-1429.
2. Qureishi A, Lee Y, Belfield K, Birchall JP, Daniel M. Update on otitis media – prevention and treatment. Infect Drug Resist. 2014;7:15-24.
3. Minovi A, Dazert S. Diseases of the middle ear in childhood. GMS Curr Top Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2014;13:Doc11.
4. van Zon A, van der Heijden GJ, van Dongen TM, Burton MJ, Schilder AG. Antibiotics for otitis media with effusion in children [review] Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;9: CD009163.
5. Finkelstein Y, Ophir D, Talmi YP, Shabtai A, Strauss M, Zohar Y. Adult onset otitis media with effusion. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1994;120(5):517–527.