ABSTRACT
Acute otitis media (AOM) is predominantly a disease of children, in whom it is the second commonest condition to be diagnosed (the common cold being the first). Middle ear infection accounts for 12% of visits to ambulatory healthcare sites for children under 15 years of age in the USA. In Boston, a long-term study of a cohort of 2565 children found that 62% of them experienced an episode of AOM by 1 year of age, and 83% by 3 years (Teele et al., 1989). In the UK, around 30% of children under 3 years of age visit their GP with AOM each year. The peak incidence is between 6 and 15 months.
