Otalgia Difficult to Diagnose In Kids

Otalgia, or earache, can be difficult to diagnose in children. A study published in Journal of Pain points to a parents’ assessment of earache pain, or acute oritis media (AOM), being potentially unreliable.

“In preverbal children, who constitute the majority of children with AOM, it is not clear how parents determine whether their child is having otalgia,” said Nader Shaikh, MD, MPH, from the Division of General Academic Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pennsylvania. “Specifically, it is unclear which of the symptoms of AOM impacts parental pain assessment the most.”

The study sought to determine how parents of preverbal children decide they’re suffering from otalgia. Their findings suggested that instead of looking at the common symptoms of AOM, the interpretation of symptoms appeared to be influenced by the parents’ socioeconomic status.

The level of pain experienced by the child cannot be properly assessed without taking into account the mother’s education background, and insurance status. The study authors ultimately concluded the amount of pain parents see in their children is influenced by biological, psychological and social factors, with observable behaviors only accounting for 50 percent of pain levels.

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