A history of acute suppurative otitis media and allergic symptomatology in children with chronic secretory otitis media and controls.

The parents of children with secretory otitis media and the parents of healthy children attending for routine school or community medical examinations have been questioned about previous acute otitis media, aural discharge, chronic nasal symptoms and allergic disorders. Eighty-nine pairs of children, matched for age and sex, were available for analysis. There was a significantly higher incidence of acute otitis media, aural discharge and chronic nasal symptoms in the secretory otitis group (P = less than 0.001). Amongst the allergic symptoms and disorders, the only significant differences demonstrated were for drug allergy, eye itching and eye running (P = less than 0.05). The results confirm that a relationship exists between acute otitis media and secretory otitis media and also support the conventional image of the child with secretory otitis as a mouth breather with nasal symptoms. They do not lend support to the view that allergy is an important factor in the pathogenesis of secretory otitis.