McFadden D M, Berwick D M, Feldstein M L, Marter S S
Clin Pediatr (Phila). 1985 Oct;24(10):571-5. doi: 10.1177/000992288502401005.
A retrospective review of clinical experience with the diagnosis of acute otitis media (AOM) in a large pediatric population (age, 0-12 years old) reveals two age-specific patterns of diagnosis: one in preschool children and one in schoolage children. In the population as a whole, AOM is diagnosed most frequently in the first 5 years of life; rates of diagnosis vary with gender (male: female ratio = 1.10) and season (fall/winter peak). In a linear regression model, age, gender, season, and interactions among these account for 52 percent of the variability in diagnostic rates. In children less than 5 years of age, rates of diagnosis vary strikingly with gender and season; the regression model accounts for 55 percent of observed variability in diagnostic rates. In schoolage children (5-11 years old), however, males and females are equally likely to be diagnosed to have AOM, and seasonal variability is blunted; among these children, the regression model predicts only 22 percent of diagnostic rate variability. These findings buttress existing knowledge of the epidemiology of AOM and have important implications for clinical practice, health planning, and pediatric research.
对一大群儿童（年龄0至12岁）急性中耳炎（AOM）诊断的临床经验进行回顾性分析，发现了两种特定年龄的诊断模式：一种是学龄前儿童，另一种是学龄儿童。在总体人群中，AOM最常在生命的头5年被诊断出来；诊断率因性别（男：女比例 = 1.10）和季节（秋冬高峰）而异。在一个线性回归模型中，年龄、性别、季节以及它们之间的相互作用占诊断率变异性的52%。在5岁以下的儿童中，诊断率因性别和季节而显著不同；回归模型占观察到的诊断率变异性的55%。然而，在学龄儿童（5至11岁）中，男性和女性被诊断患有AOM的可能性相同，并且季节变异性减弱；在这些儿童中，回归模型仅预测诊断率变异性的22%。这些发现支持了现有的AOM流行病学知识，并对临床实践、卫生规划和儿科研究具有重要意义。
