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Acute otitis media
Background
Overview
Definition
AOM is defined as an infection of the middle ear space.
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Pathophysiology
AOM is mostly caused by bacteria (S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, M. catarrhalis) followed by viruses.
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Disease course
The inflammatory disease due to middle ear space infection with particular involvement of the tympanic membrane results in AOM, which presents with clinical presentations of earache, otorrhea, headache, fever, general malaise, and hearing impairment. AOM is a self-limiting condition.
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Prognosis and risk of recurrence
AOM is not associated with an increase in mortality.
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Guidelines
Key sources
The following summarized guidelines for the evaluation and management of acute otitis media are prepared by our editorial team based on guidelines from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP 2025), the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF 2022), the Italian Society of Pediatrics (ISP 2019), the Danish Society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery (DSOHH/DHMA 2016), ...
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