The prevalance and risk factors of otitis media with effusion in kindergarden and primary school children living in Diyarbakır and its towns.

Otitis media with effusion (OME) is an inflamation of middle ear mucosa as well accumulation of fluid behind eardrum, middle ear and mastoid cell without acute enfection sign and symptoms. There are three important etiologic roles in the formation of OME; infection, inflamation and aeration disorder of middle ear.By physical examination with otoscopy and tympanometry, 256 (14.5%) of 1763 children were diagnosed as OME. 118 cases (46.01%) had bilateral OME. 138 cases had unilateral OME and 89 of them had on right ear and 49 had on left ear. The study was involved 900 boy and 863 girl cases that diagnosed with OME, 119 of them were girls (46%) and 137 of them were boys (54%). In our study, we choose 4 primary schools, 3 kindergarden in the city center and 13 primary schools were in rural area. 550 cases of primary schools in rural area, 90 (16.3%) students of them were diagnosed as OME. 718 cases of primary schools in city center, 91(12.6%) students were found OME. 495 cases of kindergarden students in the city center, 75 students (15.2%) were found OME. Higher prevalance of OME is associated with passive smoking, allergic rinitis. Age, sex, attending kindergarden, socio economic status are not significantly related with EOM.In conclusion; prevalance of this disease, possible sequela and severity of complications thought that scanning equipment must be ensured at the first step of health organisation. Specially, ENT physicians, pediatricians and general practitioners whom educated about pnömotic otoscopy and tympanometry should be able to evaluate kindergarden and early elementary school age group in routine practice.