Parental smoking and middle ear effusions in children

A study was conducted on seventy children to ascertain any relationship between parental smoking and the presence of middle ear effusions in the children. Information was collected using a questionnaire, clinical examination and audiological tests. Both groups of children (with and without effusions) had similar age, sex and social class distributions. It was found that the presence of middle ear effusions in the children was associated with an increased incidence of parental smoking. Those children with an abnormal tympanometry result were more likely to have at least one parent who smoked than those with normal tympanometry results. There was no relationship between resolution of the effusion and parental smoking. It is therefore suggested that as part of the management of this condition parents should be advised of the effects of smoking on the condition and encouraged to avoid smoking in the same environment as their children.