Background: Acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the most common disorders in children and commonest reason for antibiotic prescriptions. The aim of this study was to see if there was a link between acute otitis media and serum calcium levels in children.
Patients and procedures: Between December 2016 and March 2017, a prospective study was undertaken at Assiut University Hospital. A sample of ambulatory youngsters with acute otitis media (AOM) and healthy controls were included in the study. A blood sample (5cm) was collected in the laboratory immediately after the diagnosis of AOM to measure serum calcium.
Results: The study comprised 79 children, 59 of whom were cases and 20 of whom were controls. The average age of the cases was 4.923.08 years, while the average age of the controls was 5.924.04 years. Furthermore, in the AOM group, 36 (60%) of the males and 23 (40%) of the girls were boys, compared to 10 (50%) boys and 10 (50%) girls in the control group. All of the youngsters in the sick group had otalgia and a clogged tympanic membrane. In addition, 70 percent had an upper respiratory tract infection prior to the AOM incident, and 33.3 percent had had an AOM attack previously. Out of 59 children in the AOM group, 43 (73.3%) have abnormal serum calcium levels.
Conclusion: Children with recurrent acute otitis media had significantly lower serum calcium levels than healthy children.