Otitis Media in the First Year of Life in Two Eskimo Communities

Severe otitis media of early onset is particularly prevalent among Eskimo infants. An investigation of health records of all infants born in 1984 and served by two health facilities was undertaken to assess the relative significance of three particular variables associated with this problem: 1) sex...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology
Main Author: Stewart, Joseph L.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publications 1989
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/000348948909800307
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/000348948909800307
Description
Summary:Severe otitis media of early onset is particularly prevalent among Eskimo infants. An investigation of health records of all infants born in 1984 and served by two health facilities was undertaken to assess the relative significance of three particular variables associated with this problem: 1) sex versus age, 2) sex versus severity, and 3) sex versus other health conditions. Ninety-five percent of the children in one locale and 74.4% in the other had at least one episode during the first year of life. While none of the comparisons were statistically significant, infants at the northernmost community were generally more severely affected; females in each community were found to have 1) fewer and less severe episodes of disease, 2) the first episode at a later age, 3) fewer episodes during the year, and 4) fewer episodes of bilateral disease.