Written by Hannah Harp
Spoon Feed
Hearing loss related to chronic otitis media with effusion tends to resolve spontaneously – the longer you wait, the more likely it is to resolve.
Have you heard?
Chronic middle ear effusion is a common complication of AOM, allergies, adenoidal hypertrophy, and craniofacial abnormalities. Hearing is often affected by chronic middle ear effusion, and this hearing loss can affect speech and language development in younger kids. This systematic review analyzed 13 studies examining the natural history of otitis media with effusion (OME) in children, focusing on the resolution timeline for OME-related hearing loss and OME causing hearing loss. In children with OME lasting >3 months, hearing loss resolution rates were 50% by 3 months, 60% by 6 months, and 77% by 12 months. For cases persisting >12 months, resolution rates were 33% at 1 month, 52% at 6 months, and 61% at 12 months. Data from this article were reviewed as a part of the 2023 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on ‘Otitis Media with Effusion in under 12s”. However, the included studies had small sample sizes with different endpoints and definitions of hearing resolution, and meta-analysis was not possible.
How will this change my practice?
The results of this study don’t seem very actionable to me, so I won’t change my approach quite yet. The article even states that the evidence is not strong enough to change the current 3-months monitoring period approach.
Source
Natural history of otitis media with effusion-related hearing loss in children under 12 years: a systematic review. Arch Dis Child. 2024 Dec 13;110(1):38-44. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2024-327463. PMID: 39299718
