Table 2.
Characteristics of 426 children with and without acute otitis media
| AOM (N = 201) | Non-AOM (N = 225) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median (range) age, mo | 15 (6–35) | 13 (6–35) | 0.37 |
| Age, n (%) | 0.75 | ||
| 6–11 mo | 76 (38) | 91 (40) | |
| 12–23 mo | 85 (42) | 95 (42) | |
| 24–35 mo | 40 (20) | 39 (17) | |
| Male gender, n (%) | 109 (54) | 118 (52) | 0.71 |
| Symptom interview answered by | 0.25 | ||
| Mother, n (%) | 144 (72) | 174 (77) | |
| Father, n (%) | 22 (11) | 24 (11) | |
| Both parents, n (%) | 33 (16) | 27 (12) | |
| Other guardian, n (%) | 2 (1) | 0 (0) | |
| Median (Q1, Q3)a duration (h) of the parental suspicion of AOM | 21 (12, 38) | 24 (16, 48) | 0.04 |
| The use of analgesics ≤24 h, n (%) | 121 (60) | 109 (48) | 0.02 |
| Number of previous AOM episodes, n (%)b | 0.25 | ||
| 0 episodes, n (%) | 62 (31) | 70 (32) | |
| 1–3 episodes, n (%) | 108 (54) | 105 (47) | |
| > 3 episodes, n (%) | 31 (15) | 47 (21) | |
| Median (range) age at first AOM episode, moc | 9 (0–27) | 9 (0–29) | 0.47 |
aQ1, the 25th quartile; Q3, the 75th quartile
bData were missing in 3/225 children without AOM
cAmong those who had had at least one episode of AOM. Data were missing in 8/139 and 18/152 children with AOM and non-AOM