AAP--Recurrent Ear Infections on Increase

For Immediate Release

Below is a highlight of a study that appeared Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. (ET) on the March PEDIATRICS electronic pages, the Internet extension of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Members of the media may obtain the full text of this study by e-mailing the AAP Division of Public Relations at [email protected] and asking for CE1-97. The complete study also is available on PEDIATRICS electronic pages at http://www.pediatrics.org.

RECURRENT EAR INFECTIONS ON INCREASE FOR U.S. CHILDREN

CHICAGO--Over a seven-year period, there was a 44 percent increase in recurrent ear infections among preschool children, according to a study published on the electronic version of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Authors from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, N.Y., also found recurrent ear infections higher among children in child care, as well as children with allergies. "This increase is due in part to the higher rate of allergies and a higher percentage of children in child care," said lead author Bruce Lanphear, MD, FAAP. The studys authors, who analyzed national child health data from 1981 and 1988, found that the increase was especially pronounced among infants. According to the study, in 1988, there was an estimated 5.9 million preschool children with recurrent ear infections in the United States: an excess of 1.8 million children. In 1990, ear infections were the second most common diagnosis among all age groups, and medical care was estimated to be $3 billion to $4 billion annually in the United States, other studies have found.

EDITORS NOTE: This study appeared on the peer-reviewed, scientific electronic pages of the American Academy of Pediatrics, but does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Academy. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 51,000 pediatricians dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.