Otitis media: A problem for the physical anthropologist

Abstract

Otitis media, common in children, can result in middle ear structure alteration and hearing loss, and, hence, in language development deficiency. Physical anthropologists are qualified to do innovative research into the causes of this costly disease, which have not yet been delineated. The prevalence of otitis media appears related to age, sex, ethnicity, and environment. Investigation is warranted in areas such as the measurement of variability in eustachian tube, middle ear cleft, and mastoid process anatomy and physiology; the epidemiology and genetic mechanism of otitis media; and the microbiology and immunology as well as pathological studies of cranial variation as it relates to otitis media. Copyright © 1988 Wiley‐Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company