The prevalence and impact of otitis media with effusion in children admitted for adeno-tonsillectomy at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa

Adeno-tonsillar pathology may play an aetio-pathological role in the development of OME. However, this may be due to the presence of biofilms rather than obstructive adenoid hypertrophy, given the lack of a significant (p > 0.05) correlation between adenoid hypertrophy and OME. Whilst OME was not found to impair quality of life in this population group, the validity of the OM-6 in the South African paediatric population requires further investigation.