WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Marwa Ghasan Mohammed* and Karwan Hawez Sulaiman

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Otitis media is one of the most prevalent childhood illnesses that can cause hearing loss. Otitis media affects almost two-thirds of children of all ages. This study aimed to investigate the factors that increase the chance of otitis media in preschool children in Erbil, Iraq. Methods: A case-control study was carried out among children attending Rapareen Pediatric Teaching Hospital, Brayati and Shady primary health care centers, and the ear, nose, throat department of Rizgary Teaching Hospital. The duration of the study was nine months. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the age groups of cases and controls (p<0.008). No significant difference was found in terms of gender and the child’s rank in the family. There was a highly significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mother’s educational level and occupation status. Compared to controls a higher percentage of cases attended day-care (56% vs. 38%), were bottle fed during the first 6 months of life (54% vs. 40%), were bottle fed in the supine position (54% vs. 30%), were passive smokers (48% vs. 30%), were born pre-term (28% vs. 4%), had craniofacial anomalies (10% vs. 0%) and allergies (50% vs 18%). These findings were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study, the highest incidence of acute otitis media was observed in children aged 1-2 years. Significant risk factors for acute otitis media included the mother's employment, daycare attendance, bottle feeding in the first six months of life, particularly in a supine position, latent smoking, premature birth, and craniofacial abnormalities.