Feroz Shanila, Rehman Ejaz Ur, Raza Muhammad Saad, Nuzhat Mehrozia, Noreen Asma, Samson Marion
ENT, United Medical and Dental College, Karachi, PAK.
Pediatrics, United Medical and Dental College, Karachi, PAK.
Cureus. 2025 May 12;17(5):e83958. doi: 10.7759/cureus.83958. eCollection 2025 May.
Objective To determine the prevalence of specific pediatric ear morbidities and assess their association with age and sex, while hypothesizing that there may be significant differences across demographic groups for pediatric ear morbidities. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted at Creek General Hospital and United Hospital, Karachi, from 2019 to 2023. A total of 788 children aged 4-12 years presenting with ear-related morbidities were enrolled using consecutive sampling. Data were collected using a structured evaluation form that captured demographic information and diagnostic categories. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS version 27, utilizing descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test to examine associations (p ≤ 0.05). Results Among the 788 participants, 49.24% (388) were male and 50.76% (400) female, with a majority aged 8-12 years. The most frequent diagnosis was otitis media with effusion (OME) 41.24% (325), followed by chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) 19.29% (152) and acute otitis media (AOM) 15.48% (122). Less common conditions included otitis externa 9.26% (73), impacted cerumen 10.41% (82), and foreign body presence in the ear 2.54% (20). Overall, ear morbidities showed no significant variation by age or sex, except for impacted earwax and AOM, which exhibited age- and sex-related differences, respectively (P-value <0.05). Conclusion OME, CSOM, and AOM emerged as the most prevalent ear morbidities among pediatric patients in tertiary care settings. These findings suggest that early diagnosis and timely intervention may help mitigate complications and are therefore recommended as important public health measures. Efforts to address underlying factors such as inadequate healthcare access and poor hygiene in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are crucial. Further research focusing on regional disparities and preventive strategies is recommended.
目的 确定特定儿科耳部疾病的患病率，并评估其与年龄和性别的关联，同时假设儿科耳部疾病在不同人口群体之间可能存在显著差异。方法 2019年至2023年在卡拉奇的克里克综合医院和联合医院进行了一项横断面研究。采用连续抽样方法，纳入了788名年龄在4至12岁、患有耳部相关疾病的儿童。使用结构化评估表收集数据，该表记录了人口统计学信息和诊断类别。使用SPSS 27版进行统计分析，采用描述性统计和Fisher精确检验来检验关联（p≤0.05）。结果 在788名参与者中，49.24%（388名）为男性，50.76%（400名）为女性，大多数年龄在8至12岁。最常见的诊断是分泌性中耳炎（OME），占41.24%（325例），其次是慢性化脓性中耳炎（CSOM），占19.29%（152例），急性中耳炎（AOM），占15.48%（122例）。较不常见的疾病包括外耳道炎，占9.26%（73例），耵聍栓塞，占10.41%（82例），以及耳部异物，占2.54%（20例）。总体而言，耳部疾病在年龄或性别上没有显著差异，但耵聍栓塞和AOM分别表现出与年龄和性别相关的差异（P值<0.05）。结论 OME、CSOM和AOM是三级医疗机构中儿科患者最常见的耳部疾病。这些发现表明，早期诊断和及时干预可能有助于减轻并发症，因此建议将其作为重要的公共卫生措施。解决社会经济弱势地区医疗服务不足和卫生条件差等潜在因素的努力至关重要。建议进一步开展关注地区差异和预防策略的研究。
