Yang C Y, Cheng M F, Tsai S S, Hung C F, Lai T C, Hwang K C
School of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, Republic of China.
J Toxicol Environ Health A. 1999 Jan 22;56(2):111-9. doi: 10.1080/009841099158178.
The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between indoor environmental factors and acute otitis media in a subtropical area. A case-control study was performed using participants from a prevalence survey that included 219 school children with acute otitis media and 219 age- and gender-matched controls. The study was confined to 4164 primary school children aged 6-12 yr attending 8 primary schools in Kaohsiung rural municipalities who participated in a prevalence study of the health effects of an indoor environment. An acute otitis media case was defined as a child with acute symptoms (presenting with earache, fever, irritability, and/or discharge from the ear) diagnosed by a physician in the previous year. Controls selected from the same school did not have chronic or acute respiratory illness or an ear-related illness during the same period. Information regarding the home environment was obtained using a structured written questionnaire, completed by the parents of the children. Of the many indoor environmental factors included in this study, only living in a home with indications of dampness (mold, flooding, home dampness) showed an association with acute otitis media. It was concluded that dampness in the home is a new public health issue in subtropical areas.
本研究的目的是调查亚热带地区室内环境因素与急性中耳炎之间的关系。采用一项患病率调查中的参与者进行病例对照研究，该调查包括219名患有急性中耳炎的学童和219名年龄及性别匹配的对照。研究局限于高雄农村地区8所小学的4164名6至12岁的小学生，他们参与了一项关于室内环境对健康影响的患病率研究。急性中耳炎病例定义为在前一年被医生诊断为有急性症状（表现为耳痛、发热、易怒和/或耳部流脓）的儿童。从同一所学校选取的对照在同一时期没有慢性或急性呼吸道疾病或耳部相关疾病。通过由孩子的父母填写的结构化书面问卷获取有关家庭环境的信息。在本研究纳入的众多室内环境因素中，只有居住在有潮湿迹象（霉菌、洪水、房屋潮湿）的家中与急性中耳炎有关联。研究得出结论，家中潮湿是亚热带地区一个新的公共卫生问题。
