Parental Smoking and Childhood Ear Infections: A Dangerous Combination

v Acute otitis media: Children with acute otitis media have signs and symptoms of infection, such as ear pain and fever. Acute otitis media is very common in children; more than 5 million cases occur each year in the United States. v Otitis media with effusion: Children with otitis media with effusion have extra fluid in the middle ear, so symptoms may include feeling like the ear is plugged or difficulty hearing. Children often get otitis media with effusion after having a cold or viral infection. About 90% of children have otitis media with effusion before starting school, most often between ages 6 months and 4 years. Even though these infections are common, they can have serious consequences. Children who have repeated ear infections sometimes need surgery, which has risks. Children who have middle ear effusions are at risk for hearing loss, which can delay speech development. Many parents are interested in ways to prevent ear infections in their children. A recent review in the Archives evaluated a large number of research studies. The major finding was that having any family member who smoked raised the risk of ear infections for their children. The review study calculated that every year 292 950 frequent ear infections, meaning having 3 or more ear infections in the past year, are directly caused by a child being exposed to tobacco smoke.