90% of children under the age of three have suffered, at least once, an episode of acute otitis media (AOM), a disease that could be easily prevented by eliminating tobacco in the family environment, as highlighted in the framework of the 59th National Congress of the Spanish Society of Otolaryngology and Pathology (SEORL PCF).
AOM is a very common bacterial infection in children, and it usually starts when the germs responsible for colds or sore throat (bacterial or viral infections) spread to the middle ear. Once in the ear, the infection can lead to the accumulation of pus or fluid behind the eardrum, producing quite intense pain at times.
It affects especially among children between the ages of 0 and 3, when the immune system is not fully developed. The percentages are very important to take into account in all families that simple preventive measure, not only applied to the home environment, but also in the car, in restaurants or entertainment venues we go to ...
Before the age of one year, 20% of children will have suffered at least one episode of AOM, a percentage that rises to 50% before 2 and up to 90% before three years.
Although there are bacterial vaccines to prevent AOM, they are only effective against 6% spectra of infectious microorganisms that cause otitis. Therefore, the SEORL is committed to prevention: one more reason to move children away from places where they usually smoke.
