Fluid in the ear is the most common cause of poor hearing in children. It causes long-lasting hearing problems in 1 in 20 children aged 5 years.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Williamson IG, Dunleavey J, Bain J, et al.
The natural history of otitis media with effusion: a three-year study of the incidence and prevalence of abnormal tympanograms in four south west Hampshire infant and first schools.
Journal of Laryngology & Otology. 1994; 108: 930-934.

 

 

 

 

 

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By age 10, about 4 in 5 children have had fluid in the ear at some time.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Casselbrant ML, Brostoff LM, Flaherty MR, et al.
Otitis media with effusion in preschool children.
Laryngoscope. 1985; 95: 428-436.

 

 

 

 

 

²

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Zielhuis GA, Rach GH, Van Den Broek P.
The occurrence of otitis media with effusion in Dutch pre-school children.
Clinical Otolaryngology and Allied Sciences. 1990; 15: 147-153.

 

 

 

 

 

³

Adults sometimes get fluid in the ear after illnesses such as flu, colds or throat infections, or after air travel.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Teele DW, Klein JO, Rosner B.
Epidemiology of otitis media during the first seven years of life in children in greater Boston: a prospective, cohort study.
Journal of Infectious Diseases. 1989; 160: 83-94.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

Some children are more likely than others to get fluid in the ear because they have certain risk factors. For more information, see Risk factors for fluid in the ear.

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