Background:  One of the most frequent ear infections is otitis media with effusion (OME). It appears that several inflammatory cytokines are involved in its etiology.
The aim of this study is to determine the involvement of cytokines and nitric oxide (NO) in otitis media with effusion (OME) and see if there is a link between the patient's age and these cytokines.
Patients and procedures:  The current study looked at the levels of IL-8, TNF-a, and nitric oxide (NO) in the middle ear fluids (MEE) of 31 adults and 24 children who had been diagnosed with OME clinically and audiologically.
Results: The amounts of IL-8, TNF–, and NO are particularly fascinating because they have traditionally been seen in high concentrations in OME. IL-8 had the highest average value of these cytokines. IL-8 concentrations were substantially greater in OME patients in the child–group compared to those in the adult–group, and mucoid-type OME was significantly higher than serous-type OME. TNF - concentrations in the OME of adult-group patients were substantially more significant than those in the child-group patients.
Conclusion: These findings suggested that these cytokines may play a role in illness etiology.