Korkmaz Mehmet, Eravcı Fakih Cihat, Eryılmaz Mehmet Akif, Arbağ Hamdi
Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Konya, Türkiye.
Turk Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2025 Jun 27;63(2):61-68. doi: 10.4274/tao.2025.2024-11-3.
Acute otitis media (AOM), a common middle ear infection, can lead to severe complications if not properly managed. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly impacted healthcare delivery and disease management. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of complicated AOM cases from the pre-pandemic to post-pandemic period.
A retrospective review was conducted at Necmettin Erbakan University, Department of Otolaryngology, on patients diagnosed with complicated AOM in the period from January 2014 to February 2024. Patients were categorized into three periods: pre-pandemic (2014-2020), pandemic (2020-2022), and post-pandemic (2023-2024). Clinical data, including demographics, types of AOM complications, and treatment methods, were analyzed.
A total of 32 patients (20 females and 12 males) with AOM complications were identified. Mastoiditis was the most common complication, seen in 43.75% of the patients, with increased incidences of 64.3% in the post-pandemic period. Subperiosteal abscess was noted in 12.5 % of the patients, exclusively in the pandemic and post-pandemic periods. Facial nerve paralysis (12.5%) and labyrinthitis (9.3%) were noted only in the post-pandemic period. Meningitis was noted in 15.6% of the patients, with increased incidences in the post-pandemic period. Observed during the post-pandemic period, sigmoid sinus thrombosis was noted in only one patient (3.1%).
Despite the reduced AOM incidence rates during the early pandemic, a surge was seen in complicated AOM cases in the post-pandemic period. This increase could be linked to COVID-19's impact on the immune system, pathogen virulence changes, and disruptions in vaccination protocols. These findings highlight the need for improved surveillance of AOM cases regarding complications in the post-pandemic era.
急性中耳炎（AOM）是一种常见的中耳感染，如果处理不当可导致严重并发症。2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行对医疗服务和疾病管理产生了重大影响。本研究旨在评估大流行前至大流行后时期复杂AOM病例的发生率。
对2014年1月至2024年2月期间在内梅廷·埃尔巴坎大学耳鼻喉科诊断为复杂AOM的患者进行回顾性研究。患者分为三个时期：大流行前（2014 - 2020年）、大流行期间（2020 - 2022年）和大流行后（2023 - 2024年）。分析临床数据，包括人口统计学、AOM并发症类型和治疗方法。
共确定32例AOM并发症患者（20例女性和12例男性）。乳突炎是最常见的并发症，43.75%的患者出现，在大流行后时期发生率增加至64.3%。12.5%的患者出现骨膜下脓肿，仅在大流行期间和大流行后时期出现。面神经麻痹（12.5%）和迷路炎（9.3%）仅在大流行后时期出现。15.6%的患者出现脑膜炎，在大流行后时期发生率增加。在大流行后时期观察到，仅1例患者（3.1%）出现乙状窦血栓形成。
尽管在大流行早期AOM发病率有所降低，但在大流行后时期复杂AOM病例激增。这种增加可能与COVID-19对免疫系统的影响、病原体毒力变化以及疫苗接种方案中断有关。这些发现凸显了在大流行后时代加强对AOM病例并发症监测的必要性。
