| Abstrakt: |
Introduction: Ear diseases in children are a major public health concern in developing countries. The problem is compounded by the fact that the children are economically dependent on their parents who are largely poor which tends to delay early presentation to the hospital. These diseases can have sequelae if not treated early which may cause increased morbidity, hearing disability and even mortality. Objective: This study was done to find out the pattern of ear diseases in pediatric age group attending Ear, Nose and Throat OPD in a tertiary care hospital in India. Method: This is a hospital based prospective study done in pediatric patients (below 18 years of age ) attending ENT OPD of Rama Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Hapur between January 2013 to June 2013. The diagnoses were made on the basis of history, clinical examination and otoscopic examination. The results were expressed in numbers and percentages. Results: Out of 1140 pediatric ENT patients, 628 had ear diseases, 58.1% were males and 41.9 % were female. Wax (36.4%) was the commonest diagnosis followed by Chronic suppurative otitis media (23.2%), Acute otitis media (13%) Otitis media with effusion (9.2%) and Otitis externe (8.4%). The other conditions were otomycosis, foreign body in the ear and preauricular sinus in descending order in our study. Conclusion: Ear diseases are the most common conditions in ENT OPD among pediatric age group. Wax, CSOM, AOM, OME and otitis externa (OE) are the most common ear diseases. Improvement of socioeconomic status and healthcare facilities will be helpful in reducing the prevalence of ear diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
