What Is Acute Otitis Media?
2. Prevalence
Middle ear infection is most prevalent among the young. Adults ages 25 to 85 accounted for only 1.5% to 2.3% of all acute otitis media cases in a 2005 study, while those aged 15 to 24 years made up 3.1% to 3.5%. Approximately one-half to one-third of all middle ear infections occurred in children younger than 5, while children aged 5 to 14 accounted for 19% to 22% of all cases.
As of 2016, about 50% of all children experience acute otitis media before the age of 1. However, this represents a decrease compared to recent decades. AOM incidence rates have seen an overall decrease in all age groups. Researchers theorize this may be due to increased breastfeeding of infants and routine vaccination against respiratory disorders in both children and adults.
Advertisement
