Allergic airway disease and otitis media in children.

The occurrence of allergic rhinitis, asthma and otitis media was examined in 395 Indian children living on two separate reservations in Arizona. The children were followed from birth to age 5 years in a study of otitis media. On retrospective review of medical records, 45% of the children at Parker had a clinical diagnosis of allergic airway disease, in contrast to only 6% at San Carlos. At each site, about 55% had recurring otitis media in infancy; of these otitis-prone infants, 40% at Parker and 36% at San Carlos persisted to have 3 or more episodes of otitis media after age 2 years. The only allergic airway disease correlate with otitis media was allergic rhinitis in children age 2-4 years.