Otitis Media Updates and Current Approaches

Abstract

Otitis media (OM) is the most common diagnosis for medical visits in preschool-age children and is the most frequent indication for outpatient antibiotic use in the United States. For any provider who works with pediatric patients, diagnosis and appropriate management of OM is an essential skill, as an estimated 80% of children will suffer from at least one episode in their lifetime. Timely and accurate diagnosis and appropriate management of AOM may have significant consequences for ambulatory health care utilization and expenditures. This chapter addresses the epidemiology, risk factors, pathogenesis, microbiology, diagnosis, treatment and complications of otitis media.

Keywords: Otitis media, Acute Otitis Media , Otitis Media with Effusion , Epidemiology, Risk factors, Pathogenesis, Microbiology, Diagnosis, Treatment, Complications, Tympanocentesis, Myringotomy, Otoscopy, Tympanometry, Tympanosclerosis, Cholesteatoma, Tympanic membrane perforation, Hearing loss, Meningitis, Pneumococcal vaccine.