Otitis media in Indigenous Australian children: review of epidemiology and risk factors

2013 ◽  
Vol 128 (S1) ◽  
pp. S16-S27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake Jervis-Bardy ◽  
L Sanchez ◽  
A S Carney

AbstractBackground:Otitis media represents a major health concern in Australian Indigenous children (‘Indigenous children’), which has persisted, despite public health measures, for over 30 years.Methods:Global searches were performed to retrieve peer-reviewed and ‘grey’ literature investigating the epidemiology of and risk factors for otitis media in Indigenous children, published between 1985 and 2012.Results:In Indigenous children, the prevalence of otitis media subtypes is 7.1–12.8 per cent for acute otitis media, 10.5–30.3 per cent for active chronic otitis media and 31–50 per cent for tympanic membrane perforation. The initial onset of otitis media in Indigenous children occurs earlier and persists for longer after the first year of life, compared with non-Indigenous children. Indigenous children are colonised by otopathogens more frequently, at younger ages and with a higher bacterial load. Poor community and domestic infrastructure, overcrowding and exposure to tobacco smoke increase the risk of otitis media in Indigenous children; however, the availability of swimming pools plays no role in the prevention or management of otitis media.Conclusion:Despite awareness of the epidemiological burden of otitis media and its risk factors in Indigenous children, studies undertaken since 1985 demonstrate that otitis media remains a significant public health concern in this population.

2017 ◽  
Vol 131 (S2) ◽  
pp. S2-S11 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Jervis-Bardy ◽  
A S Carney ◽  
R Duguid ◽  
A J Leach

AbstractObjectives:To review research addressing the polymicrobial aetiology of otitis media in Indigenous Australian children in order to identify research gaps and inform best practice in effective prevention strategies and therapeutic interventions.Methods:Literature review.Results:Studies of aspirated middle-ear fluid represented a minor component of the literature reviewed. Most studies relied upon specimens from middle-ear discharge or the nasopharynx. Culture-based middle-ear discharge studies have found that non-typeableHaemophilus influenzaeandStreptococcus pneumoniaepredominate, withMoraxella catarrhalis, Staphylococcus aureusandStreptococcus pyogenesisolated in a lower proportion of samples.Alloiococcus otitidiswas detected in a number of studies; however, its role in otitis media pathogenesis remains controversial. Nasopharyngeal colonisation is a risk factor for otitis media in Indigenous infants, and bacterial load of otopathogens in the nasopharynx can predict the ear state of Indigenous children.Conclusion:Most studies have used culture-based methods and specimens from middle-ear discharge or the nasopharynx. Findings from these studies are consistent with international literature, but reliance on culture may incorrectly characterise the microbiology of this condition. Advances in genomic technologies are now providing microbiologists with the ability to analyse the entire mixed bacterial communities (‘microbiomes’) of samples obtained from Indigenous children with otitis media.


Author(s):  
Amal Chakraborty ◽  
Mark Daniel ◽  
Natasha J. Howard ◽  
Alwin Chong ◽  
Nicola Slavin ◽  
...  

The high prevalence of preventable infectious and chronic diseases in Australian Indigenous populations is a major public health concern. Existing research has rarely examined the role of built and socio-political environmental factors relating to remote Indigenous health and wellbeing. This research identified built and socio-political environmental indicators from publicly available grey literature documents locally-relevant to remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. Existing planning documents with evidence of community input were used to reduce the response burden on Indigenous communities. A scoping review of community-focused planning documents resulted in the identification of 1120 built and 2215 socio-political environmental indicators. Indicators were systematically classified using an Indigenous indicator classification system (IICS). Applying the IICS yielded indicators prominently featuring the “community infrastructure” domain within the built environment, and the “community capacity” domain within the socio-political environment. This research demonstrates the utility of utilizing existing planning documents and a culturally appropriate systematic classification system to consolidate environmental determinants that influence health and disease occurrence. The findings also support understanding of which features of community-level built and socio-political environments amenable to public health and social policy actions might be targeted to help reduce the prevalence of infectious and chronic diseases in Indigenous communities.


1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-284
Author(s):  
S. d. A. Nishioka

1996 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1079-1083 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Uhari ◽  
K. Mantysaari ◽  
M. Niemela

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-442
Author(s):  
Jessie R. Groothuis ◽  
Sarah H. W. Sell ◽  
Peter F. Wright ◽  
Judith M. Thompson ◽  
William A. Altemeier

Ninety-one normal infants were followed longitudinally for varying periods from November 1975 to April 1977 to assess the correlation between tympanometry and pneumatic otoscopy and to study the pathogenesis of acute and chronic otitis media early in life. Type A (normal) tympanograms correlated with normal otoscopic findings in 92% of instances. Type B tympanograms, indicating reduced drum compliance with a relatively flat pressure curve, were associated with abnormal otoscopic findings in 93% of cases. The A8 (reduced compliance, normal pressure) and C (normal compliance, negative pressure) tympanograms were less consistent predictors of otoscopic findings. The correlation of tympanometric and otoscopic findings were similar in infants above and below 7 months of age. Tympanometry provided some insight into the natural history of otitis in 71 infants followed 12 to 17 months. Infants who failed to develop otitis had type B curves in only one of 240 determinations (0.4%). This pattern did not appear in those who developed acute otitis media (AOM) until the month preceding the first attack; nine of 29 tests (31%) made under these circumstances were type B. When a type B curve appeared in an asymptomatic study infant who had not previously had otitis, AOM developed within a month in nine of ten instances. At the time of diagnosis of first AOM, 87% of tympanograms were type B with the remainder type A8 or C. Sixty-three percent of tympanograms obtained from 25 infants during the six months following first AOM were type B, indicating that abnormal middle ear function was often prolonged. Fifteen of these 25 developed recurrent otitis during follow-up.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document