Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Primary Care Services, Eleemosynaria Apostolica, Vatican City State.
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2022 Jun;166(6):1022-1027. doi: 10.1177/01945998211060699. Epub 2021 Nov 23.
Otolaryngology diseases are common among people experiencing homelessness; however, they are seldom evaluated in a specialist setting, and investigations on their prevalence have rarely been conducted. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prevalence of otolaryngology conditions in an urban homeless population.
Retrospective study.
Primary health care facility.
The clinical records of patients referred to the medical facilities of the Primary Care Services of the Eleemosynaria Apostolica, Vatican City, between October 1, 2019, and July 31, 2021, were retrospectively reviewed; those reporting at least 1 otolaryngology disease were included in the study.
A total of 2516 records were retrospectively reviewed, and 484 (19.24%) were included in the study. The most common otolaryngology disease was pharyngotonsillitis (n = 118, 24.13%), followed by rhinitis with nasal obstruction (n = 107, 21.88%), hearing loss (n = 93, 19.01%), otitis (n = 81, 16.56%), abscess (n = 46, 9.40%), and sinusitis (n = 33, 6.74%). Head and neck cancer or precancerous lesions were reported in 34 subjects (7.02%). More than 1 simultaneous otolaryngology disorder was found in nearly 50% of our sample. A wide range of comorbidities was also reported.
Our results confirm an elevated otolaryngology demand in the homeless population and encourage the development of more efficient and effective strategies for a population-tailored diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.
耳鼻喉疾病在无家可归者中很常见；然而，这些疾病很少在专科环境中进行评估，而且很少对其患病率进行调查。本回顾性研究旨在评估城市无家可归人群中耳鼻喉疾病的患病率。
回顾性研究。
初级保健机构。
回顾性审查 2019 年 10 月 1 日至 2021 年 7 月 31 日期间向梵蒂冈城使徒慈善初级保健服务医疗设施转诊的患者的临床记录；将至少报告 1 种耳鼻喉疾病的患者纳入研究。
共回顾了 2516 份记录，其中 484 份（19.24%）纳入研究。最常见的耳鼻喉疾病是咽扁桃体炎（n=118，24.13%），其次是伴有鼻塞的鼻炎（n=107，21.88%）、听力损失（n=93，19.01%）、中耳炎（n=81，16.56%）、脓肿（n=46，9.40%）和鼻窦炎（n=33，6.74%）。报告有 34 例（7.02%）头颈部癌症或癌前病变。我们样本中近 50%的患者同时存在多种耳鼻喉疾病。还报告了广泛的合并症。
我们的结果证实无家可归人群对耳鼻喉科的需求增加，并鼓励为该人群制定更有效和高效的策略，以针对这些疾病进行个体化诊断和治疗。
