Qi X, Zhang K, Wang Y, Wan G, Sun J, Sun J, Zhao W. Incidence and characteristics of otitis media with effusion in adults before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2024;
281:2275-2280. [PMID:
38085307 DOI:
10.1007/s00405-023-08338-6]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
To investigate the incidence and characteristics of adult otitis media with effusion (OME) before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
METHODS
A retrospective descriptive study was conducted. The incidence, age, sex, affected ear side, time of OME onset according to COVID-19 and days of improvement after conservative treatment were determined to assess the clinical features of adult OME in different periods of the COVID-19 pandemic.
RESULTS
The incidence of adult OME during these periods was 3.17%, 2.30%, 6.18%, and 3.68%, respectively. Unilateral ear involvement and male sex were more common. The onset of adult OME occurred 7.80 ± 3.97 days after COVID-19 diagnosis, and improvement was observed after 12.24 ± 5.08 days of conservative treatment. Patients in the post-pandemic period were older than those in the non-pandemic period.
CONCLUSION
The incidence of adult OME in China showed a tendency to decrease, recover, and decrease again following the COVID-19 outbreak. Pandemic prevention and control measures have had a certain impact on reducing the incidence, but the elderly are more prone to this disease.
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